#christine sinclair x reader

[sunshine-theseus]

Cyclones | Christine Sinclair x Reader

Words: 3k

Summary: cyclones and cancelled flights eventually lead to good things.

Warnings: natural disaster?, fake injury. Let me know if I missed anything

“Are you sure you’re okay?” the voice crackles through my phone speaker, the shotty connection barely giving me time to talk to my best friend.

“I have my candles and torches, the tub and my water bottles are full, everything is inside or tied down. The only devasting loss so far is my leftover curry I had to throw out.” The torrential rain hasn’t let up since it arrived last night, but it isn’t helping the sweltering heat that will only worsen with no power. The second of which I fear I may lose any moment.

“This isn’t my first rodeo Chris, I’ll be okay.��

“But what if this is the one time you aren’t? I can’t spend my retirement vacation without my best friend. I’ll end up mourning you instead.”

“Why the fuck would y-” my phone dies and everything else in my house goes with it. I didn’t realise I had such little charge, but the newly found lack of airflow through my house is my number one issue.

A cyclone hasn’t hit my little coastal town in years, but the universe has conveniently chosen the day I’m supposed to fly out to join Christine, to hit. The Australian heat is wasting no time and as the rain carries on, I lay down on the tiles to find relief. I originally planned to turn my generator on, but eventually decide to keep everything off, it’s been a while since I’ve properly disconnected.

I gather books I’m yet to read, candles and snacks from the cupboard and sit down at my desk. I’m an hour into reading The Iliad when my cat jumps up and starts meowing and pawing at the pictures that are carefully placed on or around my desk. The main focus seems to be the two polaroid images in the same frame, of Christine and I from when we first played each other at the 2003 world cup, and from her retirement match a month ago.

We’d never met before 2003, but both sported the number 12 and thought a jersey swap would be cool. We became close friends rather quickly but only played each other at big tournaments until we both signed for the Portland Thorns in 2013.

I think that’s when I first knew I had a crush on her, but 10 years into a friendship is a rather odd time to confess to your best friend you like them, so I never mentioned it. We’ve both dated multiple people since then, but nothing ever sticks.

Then, 4 years ago, I retired after one too many ACL injuries. At 34 it was probably time for me anyway, and I always knew I’d never play for as long as Christine. After my official retirement, I moved back to Cairns, now a professional sports psychologist. I love being home, but it was missing something, or someone. Within the first month I put up every memento, gift or picture I had that reminds me of Chris, who Scout has also grown to love.

“I miss her too buddy. Maybe she should come visit us so she can see you huh?” I scratch her chin as she leans into my hand affectionately.

I spend the rest of the day and the next, reading and playing around on my violin. The doors and window are all shut to keep the rain from flying in but I’m so desperate to open them to feel some sort of relief from the sauna I’ve created.

It’s around 4pm on the 3rd day that the rain slows, and another few hours until fans begin to spin again and lights flicker on. I scramble for my aircon remote before rushing to plug in my phone, desperate to speak to someone other than my cat.

It takes a few minutes, the battery slowly whirring to life, but I can’t even swipe to put in my password before a rather excessive amount of notification begin to make their way through. There are messages from friends and family asking if I’m safe, others are simple social media notifications, but the majority seem to be made up by a certain, newly retired striker.

13 missed calls

58 messages

I can’t suppress the smile that slides onto my face and the red tint that warms my cheeks as I think about how worried she was. That’s what friends do right? Worry when you might get eaten up by a natural disaster.

And I quickly figure I should call her and let her know I have power again and am in fact not dead. And I do just that.

“YOU’RE OKAY. YOU’RE BACK.” I move the phone aware from my ear as she screams down the line, but I laugh none the less.

“I’m alive, nothing is damaged, the rain has stopped, everything is back in business.”

“I can’t wait to see you. Get your ass on the next plane I swear.”

“I don’t think there’ll be a plane on a route to Canada for at least a few days. The world hates us Sincy.” A groan I’ve grown familiar with sounds over the speaker, and I can picture her falling back dramatically in her chair.

“I promise as soon as I can I’ll be on that flight out of here. Scout will be chilling with my neighbours, and we’ll be chilling on the beach with some gin.”

“Good. First flight out, I expect you on it.”

~~~~~

The first flight route heading to Vancouver turns out to be 4 days after the cyclone passed. So far two of those days have gone and I’m trying to fill my time, Christine seemed to drop off everyone’s radar and that left me with very little to do.

I’m loading up The Sims 4 for the first time in months when a knock rattles against my door. While confused, not expecting anyone or anything, I sneak toward the door, peaking my head around the wall to get a glance of who it could be. That’s when I see a very familiar face, looking around in a stupor.

“Christine?” I stand in the doorway looking quite the mess with a dumbfound look on my face. My hair in a knotty bun, glasses resting crookedly on my nose, shirt 3 sizes too big (perhaps one of Christine’s I stole a few visits ago) and bike shorts. Anything more and I’d be dying from the heat.

“Surprise! No flights were leaving for a while but some were coming in, so I thought why not go to the ultimate vacation destination.” Despite what would be nearly a full 24-hours of travel, she looks rather adorable. Her own hoodie must be a few sizes bigger and her curls rest over her shoulders, a rare sight. Her headphones rest around her neck and her bags are almost toppling over behind her.

I shake off my surprise and start running, jumping into her arms and nearly tackle her to the ground.

“I can’t believe you’re here! What the fuck, oh my god, holy shit. There’s so much to show you, very little to do. I don’t have a spare room. I’ll sleep on the couch, take my room. Oh, let’s get your bags in, you’re probably exhausted.” I squeeze between her and the lattice work that makes the short hallway outside my door and grab her rather large duffle bag and suitcase.

I take them to my bedroom, which thankfully had been tidied up recently, and tuck them neatly in the corner. Her footsteps signal that she’s following me and I quickly wipe my sweaty palms on my shirt before turning toward her.

“It gets super hot so the aircon remote is on the bedside table, or you can open the window, but Scout likes to jump out of it sometimes. Speaking of, she’s here somewhere, you’ll hear her before you see her. Also free-range of like the kitchen and stuff. There’s an ensui-” Christine cuts my rambling off with a tap to the back of my knee with her foot. Said knee buckles and I fall forward, into her arms.

“What the fuck Sincy?”

“You’re rambling.”

“Sorry. It’s just the first time you’ve been here. In my house. In my hometown. Ever.”

“And I’m excited. I’m sorry for springing it on you, I don’t actually have to stay here I can get a hotel.”

“No! No I want you to stay here. It’s just I’m usually the one making the trip, I’m not a very good host.”

“You’ll be fine. I’m down for anything and everything. After a very long nap.”

~~~~~

I waited until a reasonable hour to wake Christine up the next day.

“What the fuck is this? Do you put tar on your toast?”

“You’re telling me, all the times you’ve visited Australia, even during the world cup, you’ve never tried Vegemite? Christine… come on.” I push the plate toward her.

“No. You can’t make me eat that.” She pushes it away.

“Please, just one bite. You’re staying with me you gotta try stuff. You’re on vacation, you’re trying new things.”

“If you even try to bring a shoe with beer near me, I’m hopping on the next flight out.”

“I promise a shoey is completely off limits. That shit is nasty. But I’m going to take you to a cricket game and snorkelling on the reef, and Harley’s Crocodile Farm. The point is I have a list. Now try the ‘mite Chris.” The plate slides back toward her and she hesitantly takes a bite. A pleasantly surprised look flashes across her face.

“I’ll give you the point. This is good.”

“Oh! Mary, Mary Fowler that is, is back  for Christmas. Do you want to have a beach day with her and her family? Play beach cricket and soccer?”

“For sure.”

“Oh make sure to have thongs. Your feet will thank me.”

“If you said that sentence to me 20 years ago, I possibly would have slapped you.” I giggle but make my way to grab togs and pack a beach bag.

When we arrive, the promised burning sand is what greets us, rather than the young Australian who I’ve grown somewhat close with. The sun beams down, in great comparison to the previous week, and I make sure to push more sunscreen into Christine’s hands.

“Dude how do you survive here.” A bead of sweat rolls down the side of her face and I just smile, slip my thongs off and lead the way to try and find the Fowlers.

When we do eventually find them, Christine is desperate to slip into the water, and I set up our towels beside Mary, who watches over her own family’s things as she soaks up the sun.

“In all my years of knowing you, and that is almost all my life, you’ve never been this happy. And you won’t even admit your feelings to the person who makes you this happy. You giggled when you called telling me she surprised you. Giggled Y/n.”

“I- I don’t know what to do Maz. I know I like her; I have for years. I just always figured it’d go away once I moved after retiring and seeing her significantly less but if anything, it’s worse.” I flop back against the towel covered sand and Mary joins me, resting a hand on my arm.

“Maybe you should just confess. I can’t say I know she likes you back, but the chances are high.” I glance toward the water and let a soft smile grace my lips as I watch Christine play with Louise and Ciara. Maybe confessing wouldn’t be such a terrible idea.

~~~~~

A few hours later, the sun is lower in the sky and the water laps at my feet as I retrieve the soccer ball. I throw it back into play and run along the sand. The ball ends up at my feet and I begin the run back to my team’s goal, I’m about to make a pass to Caoimhin when Christine makes a tackle and takes my feet out from underneath me.

I let out a scream and clutch my knee. The sand sticks to my skin as I writhe in pain, and I feel a hand gently touch my shoulder.

“Fuck fuck fuck it hurts.”

“Holy shit I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make a tackle. Oh god we need to call the ambulance.” Christine rolls me onto my back, and I scrunch my eyes in pain. She stands up to grab her phone when I stick my leg out and trip her, making her fall beside me.

“What the fuck!?.” I start to giggle as I watch Christine’s face morph from fear to shock.

“You little shit! You faked it?”

“Uhh yeah, you were playing dirty Sinclair.” I poke her in the side as I stand and offer her a hand. As she stands back up, I remember how much she towers over me and blush.

Not long after, Mary and her family head back home, and before the sun begins to set, I get some fish and chips for Chris and me to share. As I sit back on the sand, the sun begins dipping below the horizon, casting pinks and oranges across the sky. The light shines on Chris and for a moment I forget I’m staring. Her blue eyes are clouded by the golden hues but still as beautiful as they have always been. Her hair is wet from the salty water, curling as it dries.

I only stop when she bumps her shoulder against mine, holding a chip toward me expectantly.

“You’re staring.”

“Sorry.” The now familiar heat spreads over my cheeks as I tuck my knees up to my chest, resting my chin on them.

“What’s running through that pretty little head of yours?” I take a moment to contemplate if I should tell her the truth.

“I… I’ve just missed playing, especially with you. I haven’t felt anything close to how I felt on the pitch, and I was forced out because of a stupid ACL injury. It’s been so long.” She wraps an arm around me and pulls me into her side. My head falls to her shoulder and her’s falls on top of mine.

“You deserved a better ending.” We both reach for the chips, hands grazing against each other. I drop the chip and rest my hand on my lap, palm facing upward. Christine’s fingers trace the lines on my palm before slipping her fingers between mine and interlocking our hands.

Nothing is said as we watch the sun rest behind the water. The sound of waves crashing on the sand nearly lulls me to sleep but Christine slowly slips from beside me and stands up. I follow suit, grabbing the fish and chips and heading to the car.

“I’d say this was a rather successful first day. Wouldn’t you?” I ask as I sit on the edge of the bed, drying off my freshly washed hair.

It’s silent for a moment and I turn to look at the Canadian.

“Chris?” her vacant stare refocuses, and she smiles.

“Absolutely.” I smile back and stand up, about to head out to go to sleep.

“Wait.” I stop at the door and wait for her to continue.

“Do you want to sleep here? I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want. Or we can put like pillows between us or something. Or-” I run and jump onto the bed, rolling onto my side to face Christine.

“Thank you for coming. I’m excited to show you everything I love. Today is only one of many.”

“I’d do anything for you. And I was thinking… what if I made this stay a little more… permanent? Well not permanent maybe just extended. Or permanent if you want. Or neither at all.”

“Yes! Yes, yes absolutely 100% I want that definitely. Please stay.” I only now notice how close together we are. I can feel her breath against my cheek, her leg brushing against my own.

Her fingers brush against my forehead and cheek as she moves a piece of hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. I inch closer, eyes flickering between her own eyes and her lips.

“Are you going to kiss me or do I have to kiss you.” Her lips ghost mine as she jokes, but I don’t allow myself to overthink it as I close the gap between us.

Her lips are as soft as expected, and sweet. I can feel her smile as she kisses me back and I wind an arm around her waist.

“I’ve wanted to do that for 10 years.” I whisper.

“Do not tell me I wasted 10 years of my life thinking you didn’t like me back.” I let out a rather pathetic laugh and my head falls forward, forehead resting against Christine’s.

“Well now is as good a time as any to make up for all the lost time.”

~~~~~

Our hands swing between us as I lead her down the esplanade. The bright rainbow lights of the ferris wheel that never left, reflect off every surface as we approach. The carriages lurch to a stop and we’re ushered on by the teenager at the counter.

“This is possibly the cheesiest thing you’ve done. If we stop at the top, I will start laughing.”

“No! Stop, it’s going to be cute, okay? And a little cliché.” I knock my foot against her’s as we stare out the window, looking out across the water and the mountains, in awe of the stars that twinkle above us.

As predicted, we come to a stop right at the top, and I smile as Christine starts laughing.

“I’d do anything to make you smile, including cheesy ass shit like this.” I slide across to her and she pulls me into her side.

“I love you.” I kiss each of her cheeks before kissing her lips.

“I’ll love you forever.”

“Is it odd I’m glad you retired? I just don’t know if this would have happened if you did.” She smiles and kisses me on the forehead, and we continue to watch the landscape as we make the decent.

@Y/N_Y/L

@Y/N_Y/L I will love you until the end of time. 20 years of knowing you, 1 year of getting to let you know I love you. Chris, you’ll always be my number 1 @c_sinc12.

[skipper1331]

Sick // Jessie Fleming

a/n: based off this request.

The moment Jessie woke up, she knew something was wrong. Her head was pounding and her nose was running uncontrollably. Slipping out of bed, she walked in the bathroom. She looked pale, eyes glossy, nose and ears burnt red. She didn‘t feel well either.

"Why are you up?" your groggy morning voice asked, it was way too early to get out of bed. Training wouldn’t be in the next 3 hours. "Nothin-" before she could finish her wording a loud sneeze escaped her, the second and third directly behind. "Nothing, huh?" you asked with raised eye brows.

"I‘m fine, my love" she told you, "just your new perfume. It tickled my nose" grabbing your hand, she pulled you back to the bedroom, making herself comfortable, closing her eyes for at least another hour. Or so she thought. While you slept peacefully next to her, she just couldn’t fall asleep. Every minute, she blew her nose, the bin in the room already full to the top.

When the alarm rang, Jess was the first out of bed, finally able to do something. Normally, she wouldn‘t mind laying in bed with your arms around her body as she could admire you but with her running nose there was no calm second where she could memorize your features. And trying to hide her cough, so you wouldn’t wake up was harder than she expected. Her throat was sore and aching. In the kitchen, out of ear shot, she coughed the dear life out of of her body, drowning glasses of water.

"How are you feeling, baby?" your gentle voice filled the room, sneaking behind her.

"I‘m feeling great!" she answered straightaway. There was no second left between your question and her reply, something she only did when she was lying. "Hm, totally" you said with sarcasm laced in your voice as she coughed again, a sneeze following.

With the back of your hand and palm felt her forehead - scalding hot, "you‘ve got a fever"

"No I don‘t. I‘m fine" her face started to turn redder than it already was as she bit her lip, "on a scale from 1-10 how bad to you need to cough right now?"

The answer came instantly, a nasty cough leaving her throat, eyes blurry. Her hand held the counter as her fist hit her chest, trying to control it with no luck. "10 apparently" you muttered, searching for some throat candy in the cupboard, "you‘re not going to training" handing her the candy, you filled her glass of water again, the midfielder frowning at you. "Why? I‘m totally fine!"

Your face held the 'seriously?' expression as she sneezed again, "answer enough?" She huffed, arms crossing as she stared at you. Pleading eyes looked at you, eyes that told you she would argue about it.

"You didn‘t even give me a kiss" Jess whined, walking towards you.

"And I won‘t" you told her sternly.

"But- you always kiss me"

"Not today. You‘re sick"

"How many times do I have to tell you- atchoo" the loudest sneeze yet left her body, "maybe I am?"

"Go to bed, my love" grabbing her wrist, you pulled her back in your shared bedroom. You handed her a hoodie of yours, the fluffiest and some fluffy socks, then you wrapped her in the duvet. "Don‘t leave" she mumbled as you were about to leave the room, "Please stay" her soft voice whispered, eyes falling shut.

"I‘ll be back"

Loud, sick and heavy breathing filled the room as you left. You made some quick phone calls, reporting that Jess wouldn‘t show up to training and you wouldn‘t either because of the flu. You didn‘t feel sick per se but you didn't want to risk infecting your team mates and you wanted to take care of your girlfriend.

"Baby!" the raspy voice of your lover yelled, a nasty cough following behind.

"What’s the matter? I thought you were asleep"

"I can‘t sleep without you" she pouted, making grabby hands, big brown eyes looking at you, "Come here!" she demanded now, "or I’ll tell Sinc you don‘t treat me right and she‘s gonna be all protective"

You gasped, acting like you’re hurt as Jessie got all bossy and needy. Something she only got when she was sick.

When Jess was sick, she loved you more than already.

She won‘t let you cook for her if she‘s not in the same room.

She won‘t stay in a room if you‘re not there.

She won‘t take painkillers if you‘re not holding her hand or if she‘s not sitting on your lap.

She won‘t go to sleep if you‘re not holding her.

She won‘t let you do anything without her.

Her justification? Because during the period in which she was sick, you wouldn’t kiss her, so she needed a different kind of love.

"You‘re pulling the Sinclair-card? I‘m offended" you giggled.

She scowled, the wrinkle between her brows visible, "baby! Love me"

"Just because it’s you" you replied, walking over to your side. As you slipped under the covers, it took Jessie not even a second to be at your side, hugging you like a koala. Her legs wrapped around your own, arms around your midsection and head resting comfortably on your chest. "I‘m the only one you love" she muttered in your chest, pulling up her running nose. Your hand made its way in her hair, slowly starting to massage her scalp as a yawn escaped her dry throat.

"Will you be there when I wake up?"

"Always"

Wiggling in your grasp, she tried to get more comfy in your touch yet something didn‘t seem to fit right. "what‘re you doing my love?" you whispered, the brunette clinging onto your body. "I don‘t like this" turning her head in every direction, adjusting her body posture, she desperately tried to find comfort. Thinking about how to help her, an idea popped up in your head, "Let go of me for a moment, please" the meanest glare was sent your way, let you go? Why on earth would she do that? your touch was the only thing that made her feel better. As if you could read her mind, you added, "just for a second" she did as you wished and with a quick motion you got rid of your hoodie. You pulled Jessie on top of you, her palms resting on your bare stomach as her head laid on your chest. So instead of hugging like a koala from the side, she now hugged you from the front with skin to skin contact, something she loved and which you discovered early on in your relationship. "Better?"

"So much. I love you"

Pressing a kiss to her head, you replied ever so sweetly "I love you too"

——————

[dimitrescus-bitch]

Internationally Rivals (Christine Sinclair x Reader)

“Y/n,” Christine said as she shook you. Today was a big day. Both of you had Zoom interviews about your national teams and then you’d do a couple of radio interviews and a podcast together for the Thorns. “You need to wake up.” 

“Five more minutes,” you pleaded and Christine pulled the blankets off of you. “Chris!” 

“Get up, you had fifteen minutes. Oh, and I set your stuff out for the USWNT interview,” Christine told you. You slowly got out of bed and pouted at her. “I know you’re tired, but think about how nice it’ll be when you get to go to sleep tonight.” 

“I hate you. It’s your fault I’m so tired in the first place,” you said and Christine smirked at you. You slapped her shoulder and rolled out of bed. You quickly got yourself dressed and then went down to the living room to do your Zoom interview. About an hour after that, you were upstairs in the bedroom with Christine as she got the first phone call. You had fallen asleep during her first call, but then when she needed you to say something, you woke up to do that. 

“What do you think is the most difficult thing about being rivals on the international level?” The question was not unexpected, but Christine’s answer definitely was. 

“The worrying. It’s pretty easy to get hurt, especially whenever the US plays against Canada. There’s a lot of physicality. I, myself, can get a bit aggressive when it comes to our games. I’ll never forget seeing Y/n take that hit from Mel, it was terrifying,” Christine said. She looked at you and you could see that it was difficult for her to bring up. “She was on the ground for what felt like forever, but I couldn’t just go to her like I wanted to.” 

“You could have, courtesy is a thing you coward,” you said and Christine rolled her eyes. Your joke had definitely lightened the mood, but you feared it wasn’t enough. 

“It’s pretty obvious that the two of you are close and care a lot about each other.” 

“Yeah, she’s the second best player on the Thorns. Portland needs Y/n,” Christine said and you kissed her cheek. “I guess I do too in some ways.” 

“Some ways?” you asked skeptically. 

“A lot of ways. I think I care more about you than Portland does,” Christine said and you smiled at her. “I love her.” 

“I’d hope so Sincy,” you said, forgetting that you were still on the interview. The big news in the soccer world for a couple of days was that the two of you had officially come out after years of speculation on your relationship together. A few of your teammates shared some great and less than great photos of you that they accumulated over the years. “Do you regret it?” 

“Not for a second,” Christine promised you.

[outsideratheart]

Secrets & Lies (Christen Press x reader)

Based of this request.

A/N: This is the longest fic I have ever written with 11,599 words. I hope it isn’t too long and that you all like it. One more thing, ANGST!!!

You had been keeping a secret since the day you were born. Only a few people knew about it and that's because someone else told them but at what point does a secret turn into a lie?

You spent your childhood having bi yearly surgeries but they were only temporary fixes until the doctors felt your heart was strong enough to take the stress of a more complicated surgery. This came when you were 15, it meant you could play the sport you love, and to the naked eye your condition was non existent as long as you took your medication. It wouldn't be the last surgery you had, in fact the doctors told both you and your mom that they would have to do the same surgery again in around 10 years.

It resulted in you learning to live one day at a time and you never looked too far into the future but you couldn't ignore the fact that every year is one step closing to needing a second surgery. So when you turned 25 you couldn't help but feel like you were on borrowed time. Two years after that, the hospital visits became a monthly occurrence in order to keep an eye on your condition and your doctor was surprised that your heart was holding up well and it was but that feeling of being healthy soon came to a halt.

First came the shortness in breath followed by the chest pains, they are symptoms that you are all too familiar with. At first it was manageable but then it got hard to hide the toll it was taking on your body.

"Are you ok kid?" you feel a hand rest on the small of your back as you bend over in attempt to catch your breath after a sprinting drill.

"It's getting worse" you look up at your captain Christine Sinclair "I'll be ok, I have to be. The olympics are around the corner and I can't miss them" the panic in your voice sparks concern within the Canadian.

"Ok, ok, calm down. We will handle this like have in the past, just me, you and the doctors. Have you told Tobin or any of the others how bad it's getting?" you shake your head "Maybe it's time you tell Christen. The two of you have been tog—“

“No! Christen doesn't need to know"

"And when will she? When she is calling an ambulance?"

Christine Sinclair had many abilities and the one you hated the most was how well she showed tough love.

"No Christen and no Tobin. This is my fight and I know how to handle it" you know that the conversation is no where near over but you don't have the energy to talk about it and you don't want to risk the rest of the team hearing you.

At first only you and the Portland Thorns team doctor knew about your heart condition but then your mom told Christine when the thorns were playing Gotham. She wanted someone to know about it in case you were to have an episode. They didn't happen all that often, especially as you got older, but when they did come they were bad.

Portland were in Houston playing the dash before the players would go to their respective national teams. It meant that you had to pack for 3 weeks away. You made your checklist, packed your bag and then went through the list twice, you had everything.

The Thorns ended up beating the dash 3-1 with goals coming from you, Tobin and Lynsey so when you arrived at camp you were all in fantastic moods although yours could have something to do with the fact that you would be seeing Christen for the first time in a month.

As you enter the reception you are told that you are the last to arrive and the team are in the conference room handing out room assignments. As you enter the room you eyes eagerly search for your girlfriend but she isn’t there, worry starts to set in and you nudge tobin who in suit shrugs her shoulders. So her girlfriend and best friend didn’t know where she was. You are just about to raise your hand to ask the question when you feel two arms snake around your waist.

“Looking me for” Christen says quietly as not to interrupt Jill.

You remove one of her hands and place a kiss on the back of it.

“I better not be sharing with Kelley again” You tip your head back to rest on her shoulder.

“You’ll be happy to know I persuaded Jill to let us room together but you have to be on your best behaviour”

“Me!” You turn to face Christen. Your increased volume becoming apparent when Jill calls you out.

“Is there something you would like to share with the team” Jill encourages you to speak up.

"Nothing she can repeat in front of the youngens, right Y/N?" Kelley teases.

The defender knows that you will bite straight away if the teasing had to do with your relationship, more so what goes on behind close doors. You are on the verge of retaliating when Christen places her hand over your mouth.

"Sorry coach, continue" Christen tells Jill.

The team meeting runs a little big longer than you had hoped. Jill taking this time to discuss the basic plan for the camp as well as assigning rooms and then reassigning them when she gets complaints.

You and Christen waste no time in making up for being away from each other. It might have been a few years since the two of you started dating but the way she makes you feel never failed to catch you off guard. The connection you shared reminded you of fireworks and no matter how many times they went off you always jumped.

The two of you cuddled in bed, covered in nothing but the white hotel bed sheets. Christen's head rested on your chest whilst her hand traced shapes on your stomach.

"Your heart feels like it is about to beat out of your chest" whilst Christen jokes it is a reason for concern to you.

You think about it for a second. The Thorns schedule has been gruelling recently and you knew that you were putting stress on your heart but it was fine, you were taking your medication then it hit you, you hadn't taken it this morning.

"My heart will always skip a beat for you" you stare up at the ceiling in fear that Christen will see your pain if she looks you in the eyes.

The pair of you get ready for training all whilst worry starts to sink deeper into your thoughts. Christen knew you took several supplements in a morning but she didn't know what they were and you wanted to keep it this way. When you are on your way down to the lobby you see your chance.

"I'll meet you down there. I forget to take my vitamins" You daren't use the word medication because you know it will cause her to worry. It's the reason why she has no idea about your condition. You saw what the worry did to your mom growing up and you wouldn't put that on your girlfriend.

Luckily Christen doesn't ask any questions and she doesn't follow you back to the room. By the time she gets to the lobby the whole team is there ready and waiting.

"What, no Y/N?" Pinoe asks her fellow forward.

"She forgot her vitamins" Christen says fully unaware of the looks that are shared between Emily and Tobin.

Emily tips her head towards the elevator and Tobin picks up on what she is suggesting.

You are rummaging through your bag hoping that you will find your medication but it is no where to be found. You thought you packed enough for the Thorns trip and the national camp but you hadn't. You didn't know what to do, you knew that if you told Dawn about it she would have you benched and that couldn't happen because you were playing Canada and the team needed you. The sound of someone knocking at the door pulls you out of your head. At first you ignore them, you had more important things going on right now and the person on the other side of the threshold could wait but the knocking continued only louder and more persistently.

"Y/N let me in"

Tobin, just the person you both wanted to see and did not want to see. When she enters she recognises the panic on your face immediately.

"You forgot?" Her tone reminds you of your mom and you didn't care for it.

"I'm fine now" It was a lie but you didn't have a choice  "I'm just tidying up. You know how much of a neat freak Chris is"

You had been taking this medication for 12 years surely you built up enough strength to live without it for a week.

Training was tough to say the least but you chalked it down to the Arizona heat. Tobin kept a close eye on you and even went out of her way to partner up with you during drills which pissed you off more because you wanted to work with Christen. Dawn watched you from the sidelines and at first you didn't think anything of it until you saw her whispering in Jill's ear.

When the coach calls you over in the middle of scrimmage, it gains the attention of the entire team. Players only ever got called out of a game when they were in trouble but Jill eyes wasn't filled with anger, they were filled with pity and your suspicions were confirmed when you saw Dawn mouth 'i'm sorry'.

"Do I need to be worried?" Jill asked.

Here's the thing with Jill. You know she knows and she knows you know she knows but the two of you have never spoken about it. She keeps an eye on you during training and Dawn let's her know if there is a reason for concern.

"No. I forgot to take my medication this morning so it's taking a little bit longer for it to work"

Another lie.

"You were struggling out there and don't say it's because of the heat. I have seen you when we play in Australia and you aren't phased at all"

"I'm already feeling better. Watch and you will see that I am fine" you shut down the conversation before it can go any further.

When you're back on the pitch you score within seconds and dedicate your goal to your coach with an arrogant salute. Instead of it making her believe you're healthy, your celebration makes Jill think the opposite. You are trying too hard to show her you are ok.

The next couple of days are more difficult than you would like to admit. You were tempted to ask for a personal day and fly back to Portland but it would lead to more questions and you were trying to keep your amount of lies to a minimum.

With game day getting closer and closer, you begin easing off the physical side of preparation. You took a back seat in training and when asked about it you stated that as your role as captain you want to use this time to pass on your knowledge to the younger players.

When it comes to the afternoon lift session, Dawn pulls you aside and tells you that you will be working alone. She puts you on the treadmill whilst the rest of the team focus on the weights. Her attempt at testing your fitness isn't as subtle as she hopes.

"Wait, why is Y/N the only one doing a fitness test?" Tobin asks. Christen wants to know the same thing. She had seen the change in your behaviour over the past couple of days. It happened in the blink of an eye, one minute your the confident player the world loved the next you are on the sidelines trying to catch your breath like a rookie.

"Because I am the fastest on the team and Dawn wants to see if I can improve my stats from last camp"

Your girlfriend buys it, Tobin on the other hand isn't so easy to persuade. In the end she walks away but not before talking to Sonnet who looks at you and shakes her head.

Great! You aren't well and now you have pissed off the two people that could out you to the entire team.

"I've seen you watching me and I'm fine but if I am sick then I will get worse by doing this" you whisper in Dawn's ear before setting the treadmill to 15 where you begin sprinting as if you have a perfectly good heart.

By the end of the treadmill test you can barely breathe. Dawn helps you to chair before getting you a bottle of water. You hear her shout of Christen and within seconds your girlfriend is by your side.

"Y/N breathe for me" Christen begs. She had never seen you this out of breath.

"It hurts" you clasp both of your hands over your chest. This couldn't be happening, not here, not now.

"What's going on with her?" Christen asks dawn.

"She is--" Dawn tries to answer but Tobin and Sonnet come running over.

"She took an elbow to the chest in our last game and it's causing her some problems" Tobin tells her.

"She'll be fine. Here, use this" Sonnet gives you an ice pack knowing that it helps with your chest pains.

Your hands shake whilst you hold the cold block to your chest, so much so that Christen ends up taking it from you.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Christen asks.

When you look to Christen you see the hurt you are causing her and this is because she didn't know about a tackle that didn't happen. In a matter of seconds you go from feeling pain to feeling guilty.

“I—" part of you tries to tell her the truth, even it it's only a half truth.

"It's best if she doesn't talk" Tobin cuts in.

Dawn tells you that you're done for the day and that Christen should take you back to your room. Your girlfriend talks to the performance coach in hopes that she can tell her what to do to make you feel better.

"I don't know what's going on with you but you cannot tell her when you're like this. She will think you’re ill" Tobin whispers in your ear.

"That's because I am ill and I always will be. She deserves to be with someone who isn't a burden" your breathing begins to even out.

"Y/N don't do anything stupid. You trust us with your secret, you can trust her too"

"No, my mom trusted you. I didn't want people to know because they look at me like—“

"Like what"

"Like that" you point at both of the friends "Like I'm broken"

Walking away you feel their eyes burning into the back of your head but you don't look back. Christen stands near the door with her hand extended waiting for you to take it.

Once back in your room Christen goes straight into the bathroom and begins running the bath. It is something that calmed the two of you but funnily enough you haven't done it whilst being at camp. Your girlfriend comes back out to find you laid back on the bed, your eyes closed with one hand on your chest. She can just about hear you counting your breaths.

"Join me" Christen says from the door way but she doesn't get an answer, you don't even move.

"Baby, come join me" the softness in her tone when she calls you the name that made you feel like you're the only girl in the world gets your attention.

"I think i'm just going to lay here for a while"

"Look at me" your girlfriend demands and upon doing so see her standing there in nothing but her underwear "I wasn't asking"

The smirk that pulls at your lips in uncontrollable. The sight you saw had the power to bring to your knees and the past had proven that.

"Then I won't say no" you stand and remove your shorts and as you walk towards her you remove your top.

Christen is the first to get into the bath and she slides forward so that you can slip in behind her. She grabs your arms, wraps them around her and then covers your arms with her own.

"I love you Christen Press" you place a kiss to her jawline "but if something were to happen to me then I want you to move on" you feel a tear roll down your cheek but you cannot wipe it away "Please don't waste your years mourning me and don't be afraid to open your heart to another. You wouldn't be betraying me and although i'll be gone, i'll always be with you, in here" you place your hand over her heart.

"Y/N--" Christens shifts her weight.

"Don't look at me"

This was strange. You and Christen are very open about your feelings and aren't scared to be vulnerable around each other but whenever you shared these moments you wanted to feel as close to her as possible which lead to the two of you having eye contact.

"You are my one true love Y/N Y/L/N and should the worse happen, that will never change. I cannot make a promise to move on because I am not in control of my heart but I will promise to let love in should it come to me"

"I will love you Christen until my last day on earth and then long into the afterlife"

This time you don't stop her as she turns in the water so her legs are either side of you. You craved her touch and reassurance that everything would be ok only she couldn't tell you that. That night Christen makes you forget about how this pain in your chest has ended in the past and you don't think twice about whether you future is going to last a year or ten years.

Game day came on day 5 without your medication and you were starting to regret not going home to get them. Sleep had become nothing more than a long nap and every time you ran it felt like a marathon. Still you had been able to downplay your struggles and Jill put you in the starting 11 despite being concerned about you.

You knew there was one person you couldn't fool and you did your best to avoid her until the whistle. At the pitch inspection you stayed away from the Canadians but you saw Christine staring at you from a distance, by the look on her face you knew she knew. When she tipped her head towards the tunnel so she could speak with you, you shook your head.

"You should go see her" Christen nudges towards where your club captain is standing.

"And fraternise with the enemy. I would much rather fraternise with you" you whisper in her ear.

It seems that Christen buys your distraction as she doesn't bring it up again even when Christine waits by the locker room after the warm ups.

You think you have managed to evade your friend's questioning but when you stand in the line waiting to go out you have a bad feeling in your gut so when Christine walks by you grab her arm and pull her back towards you.

"I didn't bring enough medication with me" you confess.

Up until now you haven't been scared but the look Christine gives makes you feel just that.

"How long?" she keeps her reply short given the crowd of players that surround you.

"5 days" You see Christine eye up Jill as she walks past "No, don't. I can handle this game but you need to know if case something happens"

"What makes you think that?"

You bring you hand to your chest "gut feeling" you reply.

Once gain Christine's expression changes and the worry is not something she can hide. She pulls you into her arms and whispers in you ear.

"I know you can handle it especially when playing so be smart out there kid"

And that is exactly what you do or at least for the first 50 minutes it is. All of sudden you feel your chest tighten and you feet give way underneath you as your body goes into fight or flight response. You do everything in your power to fight but it is too hard. Within seconds you are laid out of the floor, instead of your heart beating rapidly it is slow, too slow.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" Christen kneels beside you.

Your eyes lock onto her, she is the reason why you want to fight but your lack of response does more harm than good. The team don't know what is happening so they don't call the medics over.

"Is it your heart?" Tobin asks having no care in the world about who hears her.

"What's wrong with her heart? Is this about the knock you took?"

You had been dreading this moment but somehow it has turned out worse than you imagined.

"I'm" you take a deep breathe "sorry"

"Why are you sorry? Tobin what is she sorry for? What is going on?"

Tobin looks at you and you use whatever energy you have left to shake your head.

"Sincy" you look at Tobin and she understands what you want but she doesn't want to leave your side.

Emily picks up on this "It's ok, i'll get her"

The defender turns to get your team mate only to see the opposing captain already running over.

"Move out of my way" Christine pushes her way through the white shirts.

"Sincy, it hurts" tears start to fall as fear begins to set in.

"Tobin get your medics now"

Christine looks at your team mates but her gaze ultimately falls on your girlfriend who looks petrified. Christen has one of your hands in hers, squeezing it so tightly that part of your fingers have turned white.

"I don't want to die" your words earn gasps from your team mates. Some of the Portland players are trying to hold back from crying as they know what this could mean.

"You're not going to die" Christen places a kiss to the back of your hand "Why would you die? You can't die. Christine" Christen looks up to the older player only to see her holding Tobin in her arms as she tries to console her "Tobin" at the sight on her best friend in tears she knows that something much bigger is going on.

The medics come running onto the pitch and in that very moment you realise that the secret you have kept for the last 27 years is about to come to light. When one of them starts asking question you know that you don't have it in you to answer them,  a mixture of not wanting to and not having the ability to.

"She has a heart defect and hasn't been taking her medication" Christine says when she realises you wouldn't say it. Your club captain proceeds to explain your condition in detail as well as your medical history.

"No" Christen shouts "She is fine, tell them you're fine Y/N. You're not sick, you just took a knock in your last game. I know you're not sick because you would have told me, we don't have secrets" tears are flowing freely down your girlfriends face.

"Y/N" Christen whispers when she feels your hand slowly loosen it's grip from her own.

"I don't want to die. I wan’t—" your breathing hitches once again as your bodies tries to inhale a much oxygen as possible.

"Baby, no" Christen leans forward and rests her forehead against yours.

"I'm sorry. I love you" those are are the last words you say and Christen is the last thing you see before it goes black.

"She's going into cardiac arrest. I need everyone to back up so we can try and save her life" One of the doctors say as the other one sprints away in search of the defibrillator.

"No, i'm not leaving her" Christen holds onto your unconscious form. It is only when Ashlyn pulls her away does she let go and begins sobbing into her friends arms.

The team stand there, helpless, as they watch the medics try to resuscitate you. All of them feeling a mixture of emotions. Some are angry at you, why didn't you tell them things had got this bad. Others feel guilty having known nothing about your condition, they begin wondering if the signs where there and they had just been too ignorant to see them.

Christen feels every emotion under the sun but the strongest one of them all is rage. You were her girlfriend and not only did you keep this from her, her best friend did too. You were the two people she trusted the most in the world yet today made it clear that trust wasn't reciprocated.

You are loaded into an Ambulance and taken the the nearest hospital. Christen is asked if she wants to go with you but she says no. The game gets suspended and the teams head back into their locker rooms. The US players planned on getting changed and heading straight to you.

The atmosphere in the locker room is something that neither of them have experienced before.

"You knew!" Christen shouts at Tobin.

"Chris" Pinoe tries to pull your girlfriend towards her locker but fails.

"No, I deserve an answer. My girlfriend was sick and you didn't tell me"

"It wasn't my secret to tell Christen. She made us promise not to tell you"

Tobin's words didn't exactly instil faith and calmness in her friend.

"Us?" Christen takes a step back and she scans the locker room. Now that's she is looking, it is very obvious who knew and who didn't "Emily, Lindsey. You knew too" Christen couldn't believe it.

"I didn't know things has gotten this bad. Y/N has episodes but she handles them on her own" Emily tells her.

"She doesn't like to talk about it" Lindsey adds.

"And Christine Sinclair knew" It isn't a question. The woman's action on the pitch made it obvious that she is very aware of your condition.

"I did"

Turning around Christen comes face to face with the women she was talking about.

"I have known since the beginning" the invisible spotlight that was placed on Christine made her nervous "I'm going to the hospital. Come with me and I will tell you everything"

Christen quickly replaces her boots with a pair of trainers, grabs a jacket and follows your captain.

Christen sat in the hospital waiting room alone. The seats either side of her remained empty because although her teammates wanted to support their friend, they knew it was just as important to give her space. It didn't make sense at first, you being ill, but then she begins replaying some of your recent conversations. Obviously the one you shared in the bath a few nights prior wasn't as hypothetical as Christen thought. Did you really think that Christen could move on from you?

"Family of Y/N Y/L/N"

Upon hearing your name the entire USWNT flock towards to the man clad in scrubs.

"I'm her girlfriend" Christen says as she stands directly in front of him.

"I'm sorry her file says to only discuss medical matters with direct family or Christine Sinclair, is that you?"

Christen couldn't believe what she is hearing. Even when you are in god knows what condition you are still determined to keep this from her.

"That's me. This is Christen Press and you can discuss Y/N's condition with her" Your friend has had enough of your secrets, Christen deserves the know the truth and at this point she knew that you could no longer hide it but that you would still try.

"Unfortunately Y/N coded again on the way here. Her heart had to work overdrive just to beat regularly and in the end it couldn't take it"

"No, She" your girlfriend couldn't believe what she was hearing "She can't die"

"She's alive Miss Press" The doctor confirmed "What I meant is that her heart couldn't take it which lead to the incident during your game. I spoke with her doctor in Portland and we agreed that minor surgery was needed until she can have a full exam when she returns home. Y/N is in recovery right now for observation then we will move her to a private room. I will have someone come get you when she is allowed visitors"

Christen stands frozen in her spot. Her mind, body and soul had grieved your death twice now even if it wasn't permanent.

"This is a good thing Chris" Tobin ignores the looks she gets as she talks to her best friend.

"How is this good Tobin? She almost died, no she did die. I lost her"

Tobin tries to pull Christen into a hug but she fights it. She takes her anger, which is rightly or wrongly is aimed at you, out on Tobin before surrendering.

"How could she not tell me Tobin? I'm suppose to be her person, she tells me she loves me yet—“

Christen is cut off before she can finish her sentence.

"You really don't get it do you" Christine says. After speaking to the doctor she found a seat near your Portland team mates "Y/N does love you more than you realise. It is the reason why she hasn't told you. I know that doesn't make sense but it does in her mind. Y/N has never told anyone about her heart condition"

"That's not true. You know, Tobin, Lynsey, Emily and I guess Becky knows, oh and dawn too, maybe even jill"

"You're right but that's not because Y/N told us. Her mom is reason why we know. She told us for this exact reason, in case something happens to her daughter and she isn't there to help her. In Y/N’s eyes she was protecting you by not telling you"

"That does sound like Y/N" Ashlyn sees sense in what the Canadian is saying.

"It doesn't make it ok"

"No it doesn't and for what it's worth Tobin has been begging Y/N to tell you since you started dating" Christine comes to her team mates defence.

Christen knows deep down that none of this was Tobin's fault and that her reaction was uncalled for. The way Tobin looks at her is something she has never seen before but then it hits her. You might have been her girlfriend but you are Tobin's best friend.

"I'm sorry Tobin. It just the thought of losing her is—“

"I know. It's scares me too"

When the pair hug, the team awe in response. For a brief moment the energy changes but it doesn't last long.

"Y/N is awake"

Having not needed to be told twice, Christen heads straight towards the nurse.

"You're going to have to wait sweetie. Y/N only wants to see Miss Sinclair"

It hurt. Once again you were choosing Christine over her and quite frankly Christen has had enough. A huge part of her wanted to say 'screw you' and leave. If you didn't want to see her then she wasn't going to stick around.

"Let's go get a coffee" Pinoe suggests which Christen agrees, Tobin follows in suit.

The three of them return just as Christine is storming through the hallway. Clearly nothing good happened in your room but it wasn't clear if the bad thing was related to the incident or something else.

"Christine, wait" Christen grabs her hand as she strides past them "What's wrong"

"She's unbelievable and all yours. I'm done"

Christen heads straight for you room, alone. The rest of the team know that there is conversation that needs to be had between the two of you and they had no right to be a part of it.

The sight itself is worrying. You are laid in the hospital bed, hooked up to several hospital wires and have a nasal cannula which is helping you breathe. All in all you didn't look well and it made the next words that came out of your mouth that much more frustrating.

"Don't look at me like that, i'm fine" your attempt at reassuring your girlfriend seems to have the opposite affect.

"No more lies Y/N. You're not fine. I watched you die, do you know what that was like?" Christen starts the speech that she had been planning in her head for the last couple of hours.

When you see her eyes begin to well up you want nothing more than to get out of the bed and comfort your girlfriend but you simply didn't have the strength. Instead you used what strength you did have to move over slightly so there was room for her near you.

"Come here"

Christen does so happily. Even though she is mad she has been craving the feeling of being in your arms and the solace it brings her.

"You knew this would happen. It's why you talked about you dying when we laid in the bath. You held me in your arms and we had a conversation which you knew could happen whilst I thought you were being hypothetical"

"I meant what I said. When I die I want you to move on with your life, not live in the past, in our past" once again you cannot bring yourself to make eye contact with your girlfriend.

Christen hovers her hand over your chest before placing it on your heart. The room goes quiet, enough so that you can hear her counting the beats under her breath. She is worried about you and you knew what the next couple of months would look like. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. You never wanted things to come to this and you certainly didn’t want to be the reason for Christen’s pain. It’s why you know the thing you are going to next is the right thing to do.

“Why did Christine leave?”

Well it looks like Christen is going to be the one to initiate the conversation only she has no idea what is about to come.

“I told her i’m not going to have the surgery when I get home. If I do then I'll miss the olympics and that isn’t something I am willing to do. I am going to have another minor surgery and work with the doctors so that I make it until the summer”

Christen lifts her head so she can see your face and what she is met with worries her. You are blank, almost emotionless but it was the facade you chose to put up in order get through this talk.

“No! You—“

“Christen the last few years we have shared have been incredible and I wouldn’t change a thing. I know you are mad at me for keeping this from you but I don’t regret it. If I had it my way you would have never found out. I wanted to protect you from the pain that comes with my condition because I saw what it did to my mom and I won’t have you going through the same worry”

“Y/N” Christen doesn’t like what she is hearing.

“I love you Christen Annemarie Press more than anything in this world and it’s why I can’t be with you”

Her eyes well up within seconds. Her breathing becomes erratic and it matches the increasing beeps on your monitor. You may be calm on the outside but the wires hooked up to your chest tell a different story.

“No. You don’t get to tell me your dying then break up with me, that’s not how this ends, I won’t let it” Christen refuses to acknowledge that you have decided to end your relationship.

“Chris” You reach out for her hand but she pulls away just as your fingertips touch.

“Why are you doing this? We’ve talked about our future, marriage and kids. I may not have known you were sick but you did and you still had those conversations. Were they lies too?”

You get up out of bed against your better judgement. You ignore the pain in your chest and the rapid beeping coming from behind you.

“I never lied to you, I withheld the truth, there is a difference. Those conversations we had were a fantasy, one that made me look forward to a future I knew I might not have. I am doing this because I love you way to much to break your heart just because mine is already broken”

Your emotions are starting to get the better of you whilst Christen has tears rolling down her cheeks. It was naive to believe you could break up with the love or your life and not have her fight for you.

“You are so selfish Y/N” Christen’s sadness has turned into rage “I am willing to stand by your side though all of this and you are pushing me away. You are making a decision for our future without letting me have a say”

“I might not have a future Christen!”

The volume of your tone is the last straw. Doctors who had been monitoring your vitals come rushing into the room to make sure that you are ok, your team mates follow in suit.

“Miss Y/L/N I need you to get back into bed before you rip open your stitches” One of the nurses try to usher you back toward the bed but you don’t move.

“Christen, Listen to me. I am doing this because I love you, one day you will see that. I have to let you go”

Christen waits in your room to hear you out but she doesn’t respond before leaving.

When you are back in bed you cannot bring yourself to look at any of your team mates. There are those that knew and some that didn’t. You chose to stare out the window and your friends leave one by one, soon enough it is just Tobin and Emily in the room.

“You’re not getting the surgery?” Emily asks you. She had been the one to follow Christine to find out what happened.

“I can’t. I want to go to Tokyo and I can’t if I get it. My doctor said the risks are very high given the stress that my heart is currently under and he’s not sure if it can take it. I meant what I said on the pitch, I don’t want to die” The blonde understood your reasoning and didn’t question it any further.

Tobin on the other hand. She has had enough with your stubbornness and you knew that a lecture was coming.

“Please don’t” you beg her

“You two were made for each other and you just threw that away, why?” Tobin asks you.

“Because it easier to mourn someone you hate than someone you love”

The next month was tough. You were back in Portland, a place you called home, but you had never felt more alone. Your friends were mad at you for not getting surgery, even Christine only spoke to you when her captain duties called for it. Christen spent the first week after the incident texting and messaging you. She was fighting for your relationship but you couldn't step into the ring for her.

You had to take a temporary step back from the team to recover and get back to a place where you can play high level soccer. You released a statement saying that you were stepping away in order to focus on your health. You didn't give the fans anymore details and they respected your wishes, the press on the other hand, well they wanted to know what the damage was.

Truth is you missed your friends and the loneliness that your stubbornness caused became overwhelming which only made things worse. Your doctor was pleased with the improvements you were making but after the first few weeks things took a turn for the worse. The temporary surgery you had in Arizona had reached its limits a lot sooner than your doctor had hoped.

It was three months later when it came to a head.

"When do I have to make the decision?" you ask.

You had just completed another round of tests and as you sit in your doctor's office you can tell by the energy in the room and the lack of eye contact of his behalf that things weren't good.

"I would like to do this as soon as possible and before you ask, it is my recommendation that we do the full repair"

"But what about the risks? I want to go to Tokyo and you said the best way for me to do that is to have the smaller surgery and reevaluate when I get back"

"Y/N if we don't do this surgery I cannot guarantee that you make it to the summer"

"So what you're saying is I have the surgery or become part of the 27 club?" You let out a small chuckle but nothing about this was funny.

"I'm sorry things have come to this and I know it isn't what you wanted"

"It's ok, these things happen" It was as if you had already admitted defeat.

When you get up from your chair it's as if time had slowed down. You walked over the window which ironically looks over Providence park. You had made so many memories there and you truly thought you would have years to make more, now though you're not too sure.

"Can I give you a piece of advice?" your doctor stands beside you "Talk to someone. It doesn't have to be about this but you can't close yourself off from everybody. You shouldn't keep your friends at arms length Y/N, they are there because they want to support you"

"I don't want to become their problem"  you confess.

"I made a promise to someone but they're not my patient you are" He goes back to his desk "Christen Press calls my office once a week to get updates on you"

You were both happy and angry after hearing this. On one hand it was nice to know she still cared but you had been killing yourself, literally, so that you could keep her away from this and your doctor has been telling her anyways.

"You had no right"

"No I didn't but it was the right thing to do. That women loves you Y/N. When faced with death most of my patients live life there's no tomorrow. They do all the things that are on their bucket list, they make memories with their friends and confess their feelings but you, you have done the opposite. You refuse to see or speak to anyone unless it is unavoidable and you push away the woman you love most in this world. I made a decision, one that I won't apologise for"

At this point your doctor was like family so he didn't mind calling you out when your were being stubborn or stupid.

"What if I hurt her?"

Dying doesn't scare you because you had been preparing for it your entire life. Being the reason that Christen cries herself to sleep at night, that is one of your greatest fears.

"You already are by pushing her away"

You knew he was right. It became obvious the moment you broke up with her but in your eyes you were hurting her a little bit now in order to keep from hurting a lot more later on.

"Can I call you tomorrow with an answer?"

"Of course"

When you leave his office your phone feels like it's burning a hole in your pocket. Every part of you wanted to hear Christen's voice but something was stopping you.

Ignorance had been your greatest ally as of late. If you weren't at the hospital or at rehab then you would tell yourself that you are healthy but you were no longer able to ignore the uncertainty of your future. Portland has been home since you went No1 in the draft so subconsciously you take yourself to Providence park which isn’t all that strange considering it’s about this time of day when training ends. You stop at a poster of you and Tobin after you won the championship last season, the two of you looked so happy and carefree.

"It's a good photo" you don't need to turn around in order to know who is there.

"Y/N and Heath, Portland's unstoppable force" It was a nickname that the fans gave the both of you years ago and it has stuck ever since.

"Well one of us is" Tobin jokes.

"I guess I deserve that. I've missed you Tobs" you hug her tightly with a force that she returns.

"You're scaring us Y/N. Everyone is worried about you. Christen isn't herself, she is barely sleeping, every time she closes her eyes she sees you on that pitch or worse. She told me the other night that she finds herself walking through cemetery and it is your headstone that she goes to"

"I never wanted any of this to happen. I just wanted to protect her, you do know that don't you?"

"Of course I do and she does too. I know you don't want to talk about it but please tell me you're getting better" Tobin pleads.

"I wish I could. I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to put you in a position where you have to lie but I need to have the big surgery, the one I have been putting off, and i'm not sure if i'm ready to have it yet"

"You're scared?" Tobin asks and you nod "You will make the right decision Y/N and I know you want to do this alone but if you want me to then i'll be by your side through it all"

The offer meant more than Tobin knew. You truly thought that your behaviour over the past couple of months had burnt the bridges that you call your friendships.

"Thank you Tobin"

She joins you as you wander the city but after an hour she picks up on the fact that you wanted to be alone and before leaving she reminds you once again that she is only a call away should you need her.

You find a bench that over looks the water. You put your earphones in and dial Christen's number, praying to the higher powers that she answers, she doesn't. It didn't come as a surprise, you didn't deserve her time. You try again only this time you decide to leave a voicemail.

"Hi bab—, sorry I mean Christen, it's Y/N. I have been told that I should talk to someone and you are the first person that came to my mind. I—“

"Y/N? Are you ok? Is something wrong"

"Christen?" you pull your phone out of your pocket to see if the call has connected "you didn't pick up, I thought I was leaving a voicemail"

"Sorry I was in the shower. Is everything ok?"

"I want to talk to you but I need you to treat me like the old Y/N, not the weak and broken Y/N"

"You're not broken Y/N. You are human and sometimes humans get sick"

"Chris, please"

"Girlfriend Y/N or cocky and confident Y/N? Just so I know which Y/N I am speaking to?" she chuckles slightly as she allows herself to get lost in the game are playing.

"The one that loves you unconditionally"

"My favourite Y/N"

You ignore the butterflies that you feel when you hear Christen's voice. Despite everything that is going on with you and her, she still manages to calm you down without even trying.

"I remember the first time you took me home to meet your family, I was so nervous. I know how much they mean to you and although you are this independent woman who doesn't need anyones approval, you still wanted theirs and I thought for certain I wouldn't get it"

This was news to Christen. She couldn't have imagined this is how you felt given the way you strode into the Press family full of confidence and not willing to let anyone get in the way of your relationship.

"I didn't know that"

"Can you remember the end of the night when you Dad asked to speak to me outside?" you hear Christen hum on the other end "That was the calmest I had been the entire night"

"Y/N, that doesn't make sense"

"It does because I knew the 'nobody will be good enough for my daughter' speech was coming. He asked me if I deserved to be in his daughters life and I said no. It was an easy answer because although I had known you for a few years, we had only being dating for a few months and in that time you showed me just how amazing you are and part of me knew from the moment I met you that you were too good for me Christen. The next morning Channing and Tyler cornered me in the kitchen and asked me the same type of question. The only person who didn't was your mom"

"She told me to tell that she's really mad at you"

"She'll have to get in line. Can I continue?"

You take her silence as a yes.

"Your mom asked me why I don't trust that her daughter is making the right decision. I said because i'm not capable of loving you like you deserve and whether it be in one year or ten years, I will break your heart"

"Y/N"

"She told me breaking someone's heart isn't always a bad thing because if you have the power to do that then they must love you with every fibre of their being and that isn't something to be sad about. She said when the day comes, I won't do it on purpose because if I do then I would be hurting myself in the process"

"When the day comes? She knew?"

"I asked myself the same question. Her words were filled with so much comfort that I was sure she did but it wasn't possible"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I knew from day one that this wasn't going to end well and I pursued it anyways. I was selfish and I have hurt you when I spent years making sure that didn't happen"

When the line goes quiet you are sure that Christen has hung up. You wouldn't be angry if she did, it was nice of her to give you the time that she had.

"Can you remember the night before the world cup final when we walked the streets of Paris?"

This is how the rest of the night went. You and Christen went back and forth sharing your favourite memories from your time together. Every so often she would change the subject to your health but it was only for a second then she would go back to her story.

The night draws in and the temperature drops but you are too content sitting by the water, admiring the view and talking to Christen. A dog comes running up to you, the bark makes Christen question where you are.

"Y/N where are you?"

"On a bench"

"You should go home"

"But I don't want to say goodbye"

Both of you go silent. The heaviness of the words you just said bring back the reality of what has been going in.

"There's no reason for you to say goodbye" Christen says and it's obvious even she didn't believe the words that are coming out of her mouth.

"Chris"

"No, I won't have this conversation with you over the phone. If you want to say your goodbyes then you do it in person"

"I love you and my heart, as broken as it may be, belongs to you and it will do until my last day on earth and then long into the afterlife"

A strong sense of Deja Vu hits you and Christen. You had said this before but the meaning is different now.

"Stop"

"I need surgery Christen and the risks are high but if I don't have it then I don't know how long—“

"Y/n, please" Christen begs you from her end of the phone "I know you broke up with me and I know why but I love you"

"Christen, stop. I can tell what you're thinking. Please don't come to Portland"

"But I want to be with you"

"I am only a phone call away but I need space to do this ok?"

"I want to make a deal. No more radio silence. You call me every day, whether it is a good day or a bad one. I'll give you your space but I need you in my life"

Christen's determination was admirable and you wouldn't expect anything less.

"We have a deal"

"Pinky promise?"

"Ok"

"I need to hear you say it"

"Christen I pinky promise to call you everyday"

You decided not to get the major surgery. Life is short, you know this more than most, so you took your chances and worked with the physios to get you fit and healthy in time for the summer. It was difficult and there were days that you felt like giving up but you persisted, maybe a little too hard.

The bad days came along more than the good days but you kept your promise to christen. You called her everyday, sometimes twice.

You were promised a spot on the olympic roster if the doctors cleared you. It didn't matter if you didn't take part in the camps. The staff and players knew you belonged on the team, you could take a year off and still step on the pitch like no time had passed.

Just before the send off series, a rematch against Canada was organised. Due to the history of the fixture both teams felt they owed the fans a full 90 minute match. They agreed to have the game in Portland seen as though the city means so much to you.

Christen wanted to go to your apartment as soon as she landed but in the end she chooses to respect your wishes.

Your absence in the locker room was obvious. It was the first time that the national team had played without you in years and each player struggled with the thought of not having you on the pitch with them. Christen kept checking her phone every few minutes, you hadn’t had your morning call and something didn’t feel right. What she saw next seemed to add fuel to the fire.

“You can’t wear that?” Christen says when she watches Mallory change into her shorts. There on the left side was the number 7.

“Y/N told me to wear it” Mal’s defence was honest. She remembers getting the call from you, at first it was strange but then you explained the reason why and the young forward saw it as an honour.

“She would never do that” it is Tobin who speaks up “It’s her number and she wouldn’t give it up, not when she knows she’s—“ your best friends stops herself when she realises what you have done.

“When she’s what?” Mal asks.

“Never mind” Tobin retreats to her locker where she tries to call you only to get your voicemail.

The game ends in a 1-1 draw. Both halves were uneventful but the post match press conference made up for that. Canada goes first and as Christine Sinclair sits down she has no idea what she is in for.

The US team watch from the changing room given that their captain is next and they want to see what she gets asks.

“Christine do you have a comment on the latest news regarding your Portland Thorns team mate Y/N Y/L/N?”

It was a question that threw not only her off but the entire USWNT locker room. As far as they were aware you were recovering well and on track to return to the team.

“What news is that?” Christine says as she ignores the pit that is forming in her stomach.

“What are they talking about?” Christen asks Tobin. The insecurities of been left in the dark regarding your condition come straight to the surface.

“I don’t know” Tobin tries to hide her worry.

The journalist who asked the question remains quiet. It was clear that Christine didn’t know what he was talking about and he knew that a press conference wasn’t the right place to tell her and he shouldn't be the one to do so.

“Tell me, please” Christine encourages the journalist.

“I have a source that tells me Y/N was brought into OHSU this morning by ambulance and that she was rushed into emergency heart surgery” she can tell by the tone of his voice that he didn’t want to say it.

“This press conference is over” Christine leaves and heads straight for the opposing teams locker room.

The room that holds your team is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. They were all in a state of shock that left them frozen in their spot. The first to move is Emily who calls your number time and time again hoping that if she does it enough then you will pick up. Tobin is next, she calls you mom who doesn’t answer either.

“Hello”

Christen’s voice fills the locker room.

“Ok, I understand”

Her team mates watch and wait for her to tell them something, anything. Christen takes a deep breathe before turning her attention to the team.

“That was her doctor’s office. All they can tell me is that she is in surgery”

Christen takes a deep breath. A few days ago she begged you for honesty and against your better judgement you gave it to her. You told her everything and what followed was never part of your plan. After cooking a meal together over face time Christen asked you to say goodbye and you knew you owed her that. It wasn't a sad goodbye and you didn't talk about your past. You talked about a life where you are healthy, get married, have children and live long enough to grow old together then at the end you said your goodbyes.

It is the reason why Christen remains in her locker when the rest of the team get ready to go the hospital. Even as Christine comes to tell them the news that they already know, she remains still and calm.

"Christen, get your stuff together, we need to go" Tobin tells her.

Yet she doesn't move.

"I'm not going"

"I understand that things aren't great between the two of you but this is bad and she needs you"

That's the thing, even though you wasn't dating, you and Christen were in a good place. There were no more lies between you and it made your friendship stronger than it ever was.

"I've already said my goodbye and I don't want my last memory to be of her in a hospital bed"

The team couldn't believe what they were hearing. They had no idea you were at a point when goodbyes were necessary.

Given the seriousness of the surgery you were having, most of the team decide to go back to the hotel while a handful of them went to to the hospital.

Christen however asks for space and the team give it to her. She doesn't go back to the hotel, instead she goes to your apartment and uses the key you gave her to let herself in. She goes straight to your room and gets changed into a pair of your joggers and grabs a hoodie as she brings it up to her nose she takes a deep breathe in, it smelled just like you.

She gets into your bed, the one that you shared many times before. Then she gets her phone, opens up your thread of messages and scrolls until she find the one she is looking for. It was a voice note followed by the text 'don't listen now. Wait until it's time'. At first she thought it was vague but right now she knew now is the time you were referring to.

Hearing your voice knowing that there's a chance she won't hear it in person again brings Christen to tears and all you're doing is mumbling words of frustration as you have knocked a drink over whilst recording.

"Sorry about that. Now, what was I going to say? Oh yeah, I love you. It's been a while since I have told you that but if you're listening to this then i'm guessing you need to hear it. I know you are scared right now but I want you to know everything is going to be ok, I promise"

"How can you promise that?" Christen says to the phone.

"And I can promise that because you are one of the strongest people I have ever met"

She laughs at little at how much you know her.

"I know we said our goodbyes but now I want to say thank you. Living the life I have means that I have cherished everyday I've spent on this earth and those days have been better than I could have ever imagined because I got to share them with you. You see I was determined not to fall in love but then you came along and I found out how naive I was to think I had a choice in the matter"

"I didn't have a choice either Y/N" she replies as if you are there in the room with her.

"I never feared death growing up but now the thought petrifies me and it's because I have something to lose and somebody to live for. I want a future with you, I want to marry you, will you marry me? No Y/N what are you doing you can't ask the women to marry you over voice note pull yourself to together"

A small chuckle escapes christen's lips are she listens to you tell your self off.

"Would you marry me?"

She had never heard you sound this unsure before.

"I would" she answers your questions.

"I hope you said yes otherwise this next part is going to be very awkward. I take it your in my apartment right now and in my bed, if I am correct then you can open the draw to the left of you where you will find a small box"

Christen's interest had spiked. How did you manage to plan all of this over a voice note. Just as you said she finds a red box and awaits further instructions.

"Open it"

She does so and finds a diamond ring.

"This ring is open for interpretation but for me it's a reminder. Should I die I want you to remember the love that I have for you. I bought it during the world cup but I told myself that I would only give you it after I had told you about my condition. Can I class this as me giving it to you?"

You are about to answer your own question once again but out of nowhere you begin coughing and Christen winces at the sound. She doesn't know when you recorded the message but given that you are in surgery she can guess it was recorded in the last couple of days.

"Sorry, give me a minute"

Christen listens as you try to get your breath back.

"I really hope this is not the last time you hear my voice" she can tell you are scared.

"My dying wish is that you find peace"

"Don't say that" Christen begs.

"I truly am sorry for the pain that I have caused you. I never wanted it to happen. Goodbye my love"

Christen waits for you to say to more but you don't. That is the last part of the voice note. She lays in your bed long enough to watch the sunset through your window. In the same draw that held the ring is a photo album, one that you had made. There were photos taken over your career, of you and your friends and quite a few of you and her.

Later that night Christen receives a text from Tobin saying that you are out of surgery and that you should wake up in a few hours once the anaesthesia has worn off. Then she received a second message saying that you had woken up but Christen stayed in your apartment. When her phone goes off again she assumes it will be Tobin asking why she hasn't come to visit but that isn't the case.

Have you been watering my cactus?

Christen cannot believe it. You have just had major heart surgery and this is the thing you say.

You don't need to water a cactus. They live in the desert.

I knew that. I was just testing you.

She doesn't get the chance to respond before you send another message.

I know I scared you. Will you come and see me? It doesn't have to be today, it can be in a couple of days or whenever you are ready. It's not like I can go anywhere.

I'll come by the day after tomorrow. You need your rest.

You were disappointed to receive Christen's reply. You may have been surrounded by your mom and close friends but the only person want to see wasn't there.

Just as she said, Christen walks the halls of the hospital two days later. She finds your room but cannot muster up enough courage to go inside.

"She's ok" your mom's voice causes her to turn on her heels "The wires make it look worse than it actually is"

"I don't know if i'm ready to see her like that yet" Christen admits. It was the reason why she had waited this long to come.

"I understand but she has been waiting for you. You were the first person she asked for when she woke up"

"Is she alone?"

"No Tobin is in there with her now. She hasn't left the hospital since she got here after the game but she was asleep when I left. I'll give you some time with her" and with that your mom walks away.

The door to your hospital room opens and you are expecting your mom or more doctors but instead it is the person you love most in the world.

"Hi"

When you see Christen you notice the dark circles in her eyes and the way her smile is forced. You look her up and down as if doing your own inspection and that is when you see it.

Christen is overcome with emotion as she saunters over towards you and before you can say anything her lips are on yours. Nothing in this world compared to moments like this, when your connection with Christen is proven through a small act of intimacy.

When you pull apart Christen sits on the side of your bed.

"Nice ring" you hold her hand up just enough to see the diamond glisten in the lights.

"Crappy proposal"

At least now you know Christen listened to the voice note and wasn't just snooping around.

"It's wasn't a proposal remember? And I don't recall telling you which finger it was for" There is a hint of playfulness in your voice but the truth of the matter is you were happy to see Christen wearing the ring but then she takes it off and gives it to you.

"Y/N you gave me this ring because you thought our story was over but it isn't. Regardless of how long it is, we have a future together and I want to spend it with you so no more running, no more secrets or lies and no more protecting me from this" Christen gentles rests her index finger on your heart "You may not have proposed but right here I take the vow to love you in sickness and in health and to be your partner in the good times and bad"

You didn't know what to say. Christen knew everything and she still chose to stand by your side. You always said you didn't deserve her and now you know this more than ever but the difference is you are determined to spend your life making up for the years you spent keeping her in the dark. You will earn back her trust and show her just how much you love her.

[doudouneverte]

My Proud Girlfriend

a/n: honestly I didn't know how to write this but I tried...My request are open by the way so feel free to request anything

*not my GIF*

Pairing: Florence Pugh x woso!reader; AWFC x CANWNT!Reader

Summary: I don't know how to resume that. Maybe just Flo is a proud of her gf

Type: Fluff

Warning: nothing

word count: 4380 (sorry)

-----------

'WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE?' was the first thing you saw when you opened Twitter two days after your victory against Chelsea for the Conti Cup. A fan tweeted two screenshots from an Instagram story. The first story was a post reposted from the official AWFC's account; it was a picture of you and Sabrina D'angelo with the trophy with a little quote: "Proud of my girls, #COYG❤️🤍" The second was also post reposted but this time it was from the official Canada Soccer team's account, a picture of you, Sabrina, Jessie Fleming, and Kadeisha Buchanan; this time the quote was simple: 🇨🇦💘.

Okay, but where is the problem? The account that posted those screenshots was a Florence Pugh fan account; those screenshots were from Florence Pugh's Instagram. Okay, I think we need to go back in time to see what happened.

There are a lot of things you love in the world, and winning a match against Chelsea is clearly one of them. You joined Arsenal in 2020 with Lotte; the defender convinced you to come with her, and even if you had some plans to play for Portland Thorns, you wanted to play with your captain in national selection, Christine Sinclair.

After the final whistle, you quickly run to Sabrina, the other Canadian on the team and one of your best friends. You did it; you beat your rivals after a frustrating draw in the first London derby of the season and a knockout in the FA Cup. You didn't have the time to pull away from the goalkeeper before the rest of the team crashed into you two; obviously, they wanted to congratulate the player of the match and the author of two subliminal assists.

"You're heavy!" Sab said it under all the gooners, and you laughed.

"Okay girls, let our fantastic keeper breathe a little," Kim said, and everyone left your body and let you stand up before they all hugged you one by one.

"We did it!" you said after you turned to the other Canadian, and before she could reply, some Chelsea player came to congratulate you. To their surprise, you gave Magda and Pernille a solid hug, and the Swedish chuckled lightly.

"What was that for?" Magda said, and you pulled away.

"It's just that I realize that I didn't properly thank you for keeping an eye on Jessie." You replied, and they 'aww' at your confession.

"Oh, don't worry, it's nothing," Pernille said, and they released you. With Sab, you made your way to the two blues' Canadians. Jessie noticed your cocky smile, and she already cursed herself.

"No, don't start it now, Y/n." Jessie said, and you raised your arms while Kadeisha and Sabrina laughed beside you. Jessie and you are known to always act like sisters, so of course when one of your teams wins against the other's, it's always chaotic.

"I don't want to upset you or anything, but Janine was certain Arsenal would win today." You said it, and you heard the defender gasp, which made you laugh more.

After a lot of teasing and a quick interview, your two captains lifted the trophy with a loud cheer from the supporters. Today was definitely a day you would remember.

This night, you were celebrating with the girls. Well,  you were kindly bullying Kathrine and Gio when your phone vibrated on the table far from you, but fortunately for you, Lotte was near it. The defender quickly grabbed it when she noticed the name on the screen. She crossed the room to join you with the young girls and handled your device, mouthing, "It's her". She didn't have to explain more before you grabbed your phone and left the room for somewhere less noisy.

"Hey," you said after you accepted the facetime.

"Hey baby!" Florence greeted you back. "How is my pretty footballer?" she asked, and you blushed.

"Pretty good, and how is my beautiful actress?" you asked, and she grins.

"Pretty good too, but I miss you," she replied, and you felt a little sad at her confession.

"Me too, sweatheart," you said, and you took a moment to admire her before she spoke again.

"You said you had a big game today; tell me how it was." your girlfriend said. You immediately started to tell her everything about the day and your match. You told her about how you teased Jessie, and even if she didn't fully understand all you said, the actress couldn't help but feel butterflies when you told her how you gave the two assists and that they elected you player of the match. And when you asked her about her day, she came back to reality. "Oh, I didn't really do anything. It was a day off, so I just stayed home with Billie; she missed you too, by the way. I talked with my mom, and she said that she would see you soon." She explained, and you nodded.

You were about to reply when Lotte and Sabrina came. "Y/n, it's time to go back home," the keeper said, and before you could reply, the two girls approached you and pushed their heads in front of the phone.

"Hey Flo, how are you?" Lotte asked loudly, and you rolled your eyes at her while your girlfriend chuckled.

"Very good, and you?" but when the defender wanted to reply, she was cut by your other teammate.

"Do you know she misses you a lot?" Sabrina said, and even after you gently punched her arms, she didn't stop there. "The last week she cried because it's been too long since the last time you saw each other," she told her, and you cringed.

"Don't listen to her, babe; she doesn't know what she says."

"Oh, of course I know, the walls are not thick; I can even hear when you-" before she could finish her sentence, you hung out, and the British laughed while you gave a glare to the Canadian.

When you were back in your shared apartment with your favorite goalkeeper, you texted your girlfriend.

You: just back at home

Flo💖: how was the party?

You: very very good, Katie taught me a lot of new tricks

Flo💖: I hope she didn't make you drink too much 

You: don't worry, Kim was here to stop her when she needed

Flo💖: I'm relieved to know that

Flo💖: I'll thank her here when I see her.

You: For what?

Flo💖: for taking care of you

You: I'm not a baby anymore 😑

Flo💖: yeah I know, but it's always less stressful to know that there is someone to take care of you even when I'm not with you 

You: you start to act like I'm a child or something like that

Flo💖: sorry it's just that I don't like to be so far from you

You: you're very clingy sometime

Flo💖: youre the one who say that? 🤨

You: shut up

Flo💖: Love you ❤️

You: Me too ❤️

You: I'll sleep good night

Flo💖: Good night

Flo💖: i'll try to come to see you play soon

You: you don't have to

Flo💖: you're my girlfriend and I really miss you so trust me I will

You: thank you 💞

After that night, you were the principal subject of a lot of conversation. They all wanted to know why you exiled yourself during the party, but thankfully, Kim, your second mom, as Sab loves to say, sensed that you were uncomfortable and helped you every time.

On the pitch, you were in heaven: three victories in the league just before two matches away against Bayern. Really great opponent on paper, and after a loss at the Allianz Arena for the first leg, you were more inspired for the second leg, and Stina was thankfully for that because she was the target of one of the best passes you ever made, and she scored. After Frida's goal a little earlier, you were leading 2-0, and you almost scored a third for Arsenal, but Grohs' reflexes surprised you.

A few days after this game, Jonas announced that you'll have a media day, but a little special this time. He didn't say more, so when the day came, you were a little stressed; they wanted all the squad, even the injured one. You were sitting like for the team picture for the preseason; you were between Gio and Sab, and you couldn't help but annoy a little the Brazilian, even if she didn't mind; she was used to it now until you started to tickle her.

"So, we will have a fan who will come to interview you about the season; the questions were asked by the fan on Twitter and Instagram; if you want to reply, you can just raise your hand and she will let you talk." A member of the staff said and you all agreed. When you were waiting, you started to tease Gio again and Khaterin, who had joined her a few seconds earlier, until the keeper nudged you to gain your attention, but you didn't have time to ask why she did that because you heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, I'm Florence Pugh, and I'm a big fan of yours." She introduced herself, and you rubbed your eyes to be sure you weren't daydreaming about her. "So I'm here to ask you some fan's questions. I think they explained everything to you, so when you're ready, we can start." she said, and her gaze never left you.

She started with some usual questions, and you didn't make an effort to reply; you were just there admiring the woman who stole your heart a few years ago. "So a new accurate question. Is that true that Y/n and Jessie Flemming are a thing?" she asked, and you came back to reality when you heard her tone. Of course, because you and Jessie are always so close, some fans misinterpret it, and a lot of theories emerge everywhere.

When you felt all your teammates' gazes, you knew you had to reply, and even if you knew that Florence was not jealous because she had already met Jessie, you couldn't help but feel stressed. "What? No clearly not. Jessie is like the sister I never had, so yeah, we're best friends but nothing else." Your reply was clear, almost like you were trying to convince your girlfriend 

After that, there were a bunch of other questions, until another one was especially for you: "Does Y/n have a boyfriend or a girlfriend?" Again, every gaze was on you, and you blushed lightly.

"Yes, I have a girlfriend, and she's the best in the world. She is busy because of work, and we don't actually live on the same continent, but she's always there for me. She calls me every night and texts me every morning; she loves to hear me talk about football, even if sometimes I know she doesn't fully understand. She's always beautiful, and she's an amazing woman; I really love her." You replied shyly, but you didn't look away from Florence, and she knew you meant it.

"Aww, it's too cute." Lia cooed, and you blushed harder.

"Our little baby grows up so fast; she already has a girlfriend." Leah said while wiping a false tear, and you rolled your eyes at her antics.

"I'm not a baby anymore. I'm nearly 24." You protested.

"Yes, but you are still our little baby." Katie added, and you didn't know how, but she managed to move without being detected and pinch your cheek.

In front of the group, Florence was laughing at the interaction. Of course, she already saw you flustered every time Christine pampered you too much, but this time it was more hilarious.

"I think we need to meet her. She needs to gain our approval if she wants to steal our little rising star." Katie said, and you smirked. It was funny because she was actually in the same room.

"Yeah, why not? I'll text her," you said casually before you exchanged a look with Sab and Lotte.

"It's funny that you said that because the next question is, who's THE baby of the team?" Your girlfriend asked, and you were ready for a wave of accusations.

"It's definitely Y/n." They all said it together, and you gasped. Of course, you were ready for that answer for some people, but even Gio, Katherine, and Victoria? That was a betrayal.

"What? Since when?" You asked dramatically, and they all laughed.

"Come on, you've been the baby of this team since the first time you stepped here." Lotte said.

"Wait, we have the same age, so if I'm a baby, you're too." You countered. "And now we have Gio and Katherine. And even Laura is younger than me." You added desperately.

"Yeah, but you have two team moms." Sab said, and you gripped your chest like you had a heart attack.

"Wow, even you?" Florence was watching, and she was literally trying not to laugh at your poor defense. "For your information, I have only one mom here, and it's Kimmie. Then I literally take these two—"you pointed to the Brazilian and the Danish beside you "—under my wings. So I think I should upgrade from baby to big sister." You said totally serious.

Leah and Lia seemed to think about it before they agreed, "Yeah, why not, if you insist?" The blonde said

"But don't worry, that doesn't mean we love you less; you're still our little baby," Beth said, making everyone laugh, and you groaned.

After a few minutes, the interview was over, and everyone started to leave except you and the Canadian keeper.

"So, you have a girlfriend, uh?" Florence asked you, and you nodded, "Too bad I wanted to ask you out, like on a date, just you and me tonight." She said dramatically.

"I'm sorry, but my girlfriend is very protective." You replied.

"If I remember correctly, you said she was beautiful." She took a step toward you.

"Yeah, I said that."

"And what else?"

"She's... pretty, like it's very unbelievable. She has a cute raspy voice. She can be clingy, but only when she misses me. And she's a great actress." You were only a few inches apart from each other until Sab cleared her throat.

Just outside of the media room, Katherine and Gio were spying on you. Laura stayed close to them to be sure they didn't do anything stupid. "Wow, I didn't know Y/n could be so flirty." Gio whispered, and Katherine nodded.

"She's so different from how she's with us." The Danish added

"What are you talking about?" Laura asked, and the young players almost screamed in fear at the sudden voice.

"Wow, you scared us," Katherine said, and the Austrian apologized.

"So what were you talking about?" She repeated.

"Y/n seem very flirty with the interviewer." Gio whispered, and Laura looked at you.

"But didn't she say she had a girlfriend?" She asked.

"Yeah, she had, but this woman is just an actress." Lotte replied, and the three almost screamed because she came out of nowhere.

"What are you doing here?" Laura asked.

"I couldn't find you anywhere, and I started to worry you could do anything stupid." She admitted, "And for Florence, she's an actress; she played in Marvel movies, and you know how much Y/n loves those movies."

"So do you think she's just being a fangirl?" The Brazilian asked.

"It wouldn't be too weird from her." The Austrian replied.

"And what would not be too weird?" You asked, and now the four girls screamed. "Wow. Okay, what's happening here?" 

"You scared us." The Danish said that, and you examined them.

"What are you doing here? I thought the training would start in a few minutes." You said, and your best friend looked at her phone.

"You're right, we need to go now." Sab said, and you rushed to the practice pitch, followed by the girls.

Later that day, you spent the afternoon and night with Florence; she had to fly back the next day, so you decided to spend your free time together. You were cuddling on your bed, and everything seemed perfect. Florence was running her hand through your hair, humming a little tune from a random song.

"I'm sorry that we didn’t have a proper date." You said out of nowhere.

"Don't worry, I know you were tired with your training," she replied. "And to be honest, I think it was a great day." She sat up, and you mimicked her. "I mean, it’s been a long time since we've seen each other, and I’m glad that we spent it here, just together. Don’t get it wrong; I love the girls, and your teammate seems really important to you, but I just need you right now."

Honestly, you didn't know you could fall deeper for someone, but you were glad that it was her.

"Yes, but I think maybe I can introduce you properly to them tomorrow." 

"I would love that, but I have to decline."

"Why?" You furrowed your eyebrows.

"Because I have to take a flight back to New York because I have a few interviews for the next few weeks that start in two days." She explained, and you pouted.

"That means you'll not be able to see our next match."

"I'm sorry, babe, but I promise when my last interview finishes, I'll jump on the plane to come back. You know we can't stay far away from each other for too long."

"I know, but I just wanted to spend more time with you."

"I know and I'm sorry, but I'll make up for that, I promise." After that and a few kisses and "I love you' exchanges, you both fell asleep. Unfortunately, when you woke up the next morning, she had already left.

Two days later, she had an interview, and the journalist surprised her in a good way. "So, Florence, you just came back from a little trip in England. How was it?"

"Oh, it was really cool. I saw my family again; it's been a while, and I could see my girlfriend," she replied.

"Oh, it's surprising," they chuckled. "Tell me if I'm wrong, but does your girlfriend play soccer in England?" They asked, and Florence's eyes were wide open.

"Yes, but how do you know that?" She was obviously surprised. Of course you didn't really hide your relationship; it's just that nobody really asked you both about it. Her family adored you, and she had already met your national team, who were the closest thing you can call a family.

"Some of our coworkers found a tweet that showed some stories you made after the victory of Arsenal against Chelsea, and you maybe don't know, but after that, everyone started a treasure hunt to know why you posted this. And after a little research, we found this," they told her, showing her a tablet with a publication from your Instagram account. It was a picture you took before you left for London; there was you and Lotte on this, and we could see an arm around your waist, but we couldn't see who belonged. But when we touched the screen to see the person tagged, Florence was tagged on the arm. Your girlfriend laughed at this.

"Wow, I totally forgot this picture. To be honest, we didn't really hide our relationship; it's just that we didn't talk about it because we were both focused on our careers, but yeah, she's my girlfriend, and I love her a lot, even if she loves Billie more than me," she joked.

"I don't really watch soccer, but I saw some edits about her on Tik Tok, and she seems pretty good at this," they said, and your girl friend smiled.

"She's the best; yeah, I think now she's the best." After this little intervention, the interview continued; they talked about her new movie and what she planned for the future.

A few weeks later, it was the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals. After a draw in the first leg against Wolfsburg in Germany, you needed to win this game. You were in the changing rooms when you received a text from Florence.

Flo💖: good luck for your match, and I have a surprise for you.

She sent you a photo of her wearing an Arsenal jersey.

You: Wow, babe, you are stunning 😍

You: And thank you; I think I needed that.

Flo💖: always ❤️

The Emirate Stadium was sold out, all the conditions were reunited for a great game. A little girl with a little Arsenal jersey was sitting beside her mom; she was distracted when someone sat beside her. The little girl's eyes were wide open when she realized who they were; she hit her mom's tights frenetically, and when the older woman looked at what happened, she was also shocked. Florence noticed the little girl's shirt, and she smiled. "We have the same shirt," she said, and the kid noticed on the back of her jersey, 'Y/l/n 24'.

"She's my favorite player," the girl said.

"Me too." Florence said she was exited. "I'm sure she'll score today," she announced.

"Of course she will." The conversation was cut short when the players entered the field.

The match was hard; of course you didn't plan to win the first half, but now it was the last minute of the second half of extra time. 2-2 was the score in the first leg, and it was the score now. There were a lot of fails, and it was obviously because you were all tired; you lost Laura a few minutes earlier, and the universe seems to believe in the victory the Germans had until this moment. After a great tackle, you passed the ball to Lotte, who found Frida with a great cross. The Norwegian pushed the ball until she found herself just in front of the penalty area; she didn't think twice and quickly shot. Unfortunately or fortunately, Frohms extended herself and pushed the ball out of the area again, but while she was still on the ground, you came out of nowhere. Your body reacted before you, and you did a perfect volley in the opposite upper corner.

Everything seemed unreal until you found your teammates' bodies crashing into yours. In the stadium, everyone was euphoric, and Florence was almost crying. When you came back from your trans, the ref whistled, and the match started again. You almost conceded another goal, but Lotte was quick to kick out the ball, and after that, the delivery, the final whistle. The joy erupted from the stands; everyone wanted to hug you, but they restained themself until you reached Sab after a little run. You jumped into her arms like you did after every big win, and you started to cry. After that, you congratulated the opponents; they were really hard to beat. When the families started to make their way on the pitch, you were requested for an interview.

"Y/n congratulation for this victory and your gaol. How does it feel to beat one of your favorite teams after this crazy match?" she asked. Florence made her way onto the pitch with Sab and Lotte.

"Thank you; honestly, I don't know what to say." you said "It was so hard; I gave everything I have; that seems so unreal." you added.

"The next step will be harder; you'll face Barcelone; they won against Chelsea two years ago; do you think you can beat them?"

"Honestly, I don't know; we'll both try to win our second champion's league. I don't know how, but I know we will try everything to beat them, even if they have good results against English teams."

"Okay, thank you. You just scored the winning goal; do you have anyone you want to celebrate with?"

"Yeah, my girlfriend, but she's in New York, so..." You couldn't finish when you felt a hand on your waist. You turned around to find Florence next to you with a goofy smile. "What are you doing here?" you asked, and you hugged her. Someone gave her a mic, and the interview continued.

"Wow, Florence Pugh, it's a surprise to see you here, but now that you're here, what did you think about this match?" the journalist asked.

"To start, I think I need to congratulate all the girls; they gave everything. Honestly, I came because I promised to see her play, but I found myself more and more implied in the game; it was amazing, and this goal was perfect. I see her practice every summer in the garden of the house, but it's something to see her play." Florence replied, and you almost forgot you were in front of everyone while you intertwined your fingers with hers. "I know she was frustrated after the first game, and now she made me fall for her again," she added, and the interviewer didn't have the time to react before you kissed the hazel-eyed girl gently.

"What?" almost all your teammates yelled, and you looked at them. You smiled widely, and you placed your hand on Flo's waist.

"Guys, let me introduce you to my girlfriend. Flo, these are my teammates, but you already know them." you said.

"The actress?" Katherine asked, and you laughed.

"I knew it!" Viv said, and everyone looked at her a little surprised. "I noticed how you looked at her, and I don't want to talk about your tweet about how she's so perfect." she explained, and you blushed.

"Wait, when she came, she immediately congratulated Lotte and Sab." Lia remarked.

"They started to date before we came here." Lotte explained.

"And every time we played in the USA, she came to see Y/n." Sab added.

"That means you've had a girlfriend for at least three years, and you didn't say anything?" Leah said, and you rolled your eyes.

"You never asked." you countered. "Now I think we need to see someone," you said, and everyone agreed.

Later that day, you were in Beth and Viv's apartment, and the girls stole Flo to ask her some questions about your relationship. Everything was alright, and you prepared something special in case you won the final against Barcelone.

----------

[440mxs-wife]

The Deal With Love

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader. Other Characters: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Christine Chapel, Dr. Jordan Wallace, Dr. Dylan Clark, Martin Sinclair (OMC’s).

Word Count: 9316 

Warnings: Fake dating, friends to lovers, well-meaning friends, alcohol consumption, some angst, conniving businessmen, but FLUFFFFFY ending.

Summary: One night, Dr. McCoy shows up at the bar owned by James T. Kirk, The Space Dock, with a problem. He’s about to close a deal with a major hospital, which will benefit his clinics. The hospital execs invite Dr. McCoy and his wife to their charity gala, where they hope to finalize the deal. However, Dr. McCoy isn’t married, so he asks the Reader to pose as his girlfriend, and she agrees. Only problem is, they have feelings for each other that have so far gone unspoken. Will they be able to go back to being “just friends” after the deal is done, or will there be heartbreak?

A/N: If you’ve been tagged here, it’s because you’ve interacted one or more times on a McCoy story of mine, or we’re moots. Whether you like or reblog, I am eternally grateful for your support. If anyone else would like to be tagged on any future Karl Urban character postings, or would rather leave the Crazy Train, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonard McCoy had wanted to be a doctor for as long as he could remember. He read nearly every medical textbook and magazine article he could get his hands on. As a junior and senior in high school, he received special permission to help out in the nurse's office. That's also where he happened to meet his best friend, James T. Kirk, or "Jim", as he was known around school.

After graduation, their paths diverged for a time, with Leonard headed to medical school, while Jim opted to pursue a degree in business. Several years later, Jim was the owner of a highly successful bar in downtown San Francisco, called The Space Dock. Only the best bartenders in the city worked at Jim's club, where the line frequently stretched around and down the block, starting on Thursday nights.

Leonard, on the other hand, spent his years slowly building his first neighborhood clinic into a total of three successful ones. His clinics provided the best care in the city, regardless of a patient's financial status. Each clinic worked in general medicine, while also specializing in one other particular area of health care. It was this model that caught the attention of Martin Sinclair, the CEO of one of the top healthcare facilities in the city, Bayview General Hospital.

Tonight, Leonard was invited to meet with Sinclair and several of the board members to discuss a business matter. The board wanted to propose the acquisition of the McCoy clinics, bringing them under the hospital's umbrella. Leonard would still be very much involved in the day-to-day operations but would have access to more and better technology to serve his patients.

After drinks and an expensive meal, Sinclair asked Leonard for his thoughts on the business proposal. In his mind, Leonard was jumping for joy at the opportunities being presented to him. On the outside, though, his poker face was in control. "I appreciate the offer, which I must admit is rather generous. However, I hope you understand when I say I'd like to discuss this with the other members of my staff at the clinics," he responded.

Sinclair and the other board members all assured him they understood, and after dessert, they all walked out to the valet station. Everything was going well at this point, with each side thinking they had the upper hand. While they were waiting for their vehicles to be brought around, Sinclair turned to Leonard. "Oh, you must invite your wife to join us at our next event. My wife is always looking to meet new people and make friends," he remarked.

Leonard gulped. "My-my wife?" he questioned.

"You are married, aren't you?" another board member asked. At the look on Leonard's face, he explained. "We're all married. You see, we find that when a colleague is married, it shows a certain amount of stability in his life, someone who's going to stick around. Not someone who we spend all of our time training, only to have them leave to go to some other hospital. So, when do we get to meet her?" he wondered.

"Well," Leonard began. "Thing is, I'm not married," he admitted. "N-not yet, anyway," he hastily added when he saw the faces of his potential co-workers. "I do have a girlfriend, though. A wonderful woman, who I've been involved with for almost five years. Been thinking of asking her to take the leap, but I haven't found the perfect moment yet," he sheepishly grinned.

The group burst into laughter and some of them clapped a hand on Leonard's shoulder. They all agreed that Leonard should bring his girlfriend to the hospital's charity gala, scheduled to occur in three weeks. Sinclair and the others hinted that they also hoped Leonard would have a decision on their offer by that date. He assured them that he would consider their offer, and in the meantime, he would be needing two tickets for the gala.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After he left the restaurant, Leonard headed for The Space Dock, to hang out with Jim and get his opinion on the deal. He needed some outside perspective, and he knew Jim would help him on that front. Leonard was still nursing his first glass of top-shelf bourbon when his eyes fell on you. He was usually around on Friday nights, watching as you made and served drinks to a packed club. However, this being a Wednesday night, he was surprised to see you working.

Leonard's eyes followed you as you took a tray laden with drinks over to a table of boisterous patrons playing cards. You set each drink in front of its recipient and smiled before turning to leave the table.

What happened next nearly had Leonard catapulting out of his seat. He watched in horror as one of the men reached out to try and pull you onto his lap. Fortunately, at the last second, you scurried out of the man's reach, then returned to confront him. As you spoke, his face seemed to get more and more pale and when you left again, he had a terrified look in his eyes.

You returned to the bar to wipe off your tray with a wet cloth, then smiled as you turned your attention to Leonard. "Oh, good evening, Leonard, how's everything going?" you asked.

"Going all right, everything okay with you? I saw what almost happened over there, what did you say to him?" Leonard wondered.

"I reminded him that his son, Mason, was a student in my class, and that I know his wife. I also mentioned what would happen if he or any of his friends with him tonight try to pull a stunt like that again," you replied.

"Really? What did you say you would do?" he couldn't help but ask.

You leaned in closer, and Leonard followed suit. "Um....I told him that if it happened again, I'd have to tell his wife about it at the next parent-teacher conference," you smirked. "He knows she's kinda scary about stuff like that."

Leonard threw his head back and burst into laughter. "Here I thought I was going to have to teach him a lesson in how to treat a lady, but you handled it just fine, darlin'," he remarked.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, I've handled worse before. Used to work in my uncle's bar when I needed money for college. Most of the customers were ex-military, a relatively good bunch for the most part. But occasionally we got a wannabe in there or some hotshot recruit who thought he could say or do whatever he wanted," you shrugged. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to fetch some more bottled beer from the cooler."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonard shook his head and watched as you walked through the swinging doors leading to the walk-in coolers. It wasn't long before Jim was standing in front of him, wiping down the bar top. "Hey Bones, what brings you in here? And on a Wednesday of all days?" he asked.

The doctor gave Jim a quick smile, then told him about the dinner meeting he had with the execs from Bayview General Hospital. Leonard explained the particulars of the board's offer, and what it all would mean for his practice. Then he brought up the unusual conversation that occurred outside at the valet station. "I mean, it was beyond weird. He said they're all married, that it represented 'stability' in a person's life," he grimaced at the memory of the conversation.

Leonard motioned with his thumb to where you were clearing the empty tables, while still keeping an eye on your rowdy table of customers. "What's she doing here tonight? It's only Wednesday, and if I'm not mistaken, she has a job as a 2nd-grade schoolteacher in the morning," he pointed out.

"My regular Wednesday bartender called out with a family emergency, so she volunteered to take the the extra shift," Jim shrugged.

"That's got to be tough, working all week as a schoolteacher, then here on the weekends," Leonard mused. He watched as you now washed glasses behind the bar.

Jim kept his eyes on his friend while Leonard observed your routine of washing and rinsing the glassware for the bar. "Yeah, but she does it all with a smile. Hey, what are you going to do about a girlfriend or fiancée for this gala thing?" he asked, changing the subject.

Leonard's concentration on you broke for a quick second to respond. "Hmm? Oh, the hospital gig. Don't know yet," he murmured, his eyes back to observing you. "I wonder if....nah," he shook his head.

Jim started to catch on to Leonard's train of thought. "Why not?" he asked. "C'mon, she's perfect! Second grade schoolteacher, wholesome occupation. Plus, the two of you have been friends for a long enough time that it'll be believable that you two are a couple," he explained.

"Hmm. Wow, I can't believe I'm saying this, but Jim, you might be right," Leonard chuckled. "Doesn't hurt to ask her, right?"

You chose that moment to bring over a tray of washed glassware, and latched on to the end of Leonard's question. "Ask who, what?" you wondered.

Jim looked from Leonard to you and grinned. "You know, I just remembered, I've got some paperwork to do in my office. I'll catch up with you two later," he winked and patted your shoulder on his way out.

"Len? Everything all right?" you asked.

It was now or never, Leonard thought. "Do you have a minute? I have something I'd like to talk with you about," he started. You flashed him one of your beautiful smiles, which gave him the courage to share the events of his evening and to ask for your help.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After he finished giving you the details of his plan, you silently digested the information. While he spoke, you were leaning forward, but now you were reclined in your chair, your palms flat on the table in front of you. It was a rather unusual thing to ask of you: pose as his girlfriend/fiancée to impress a bunch of hospital execs for a business deal.

The decision should have been a no-brainer. Do this favor for a friend by wearing a fancy dress to an upscale event with dinner and drinks. But in your case, it wasn't exactly that clear-cut of a decision anymore. Especially since lately, your feelings for Leonard had tiptoed across the line of simple friendship and into something more.

Sure, by the time Leonard came in on Friday nights, he usually had a grumpy look on his face. One that sometimes took until halfway through his second bourbon to begin to disappear. The other bartenders generally steered clear of Leonard until that point, except for you.

In your eyes, Leonard is exhausted and stressed-out from giving everything he has to treating his patients to the best of his ability. You admired him and couldn't imagine doing what he does, or how he does it, day in and day out, all with the utmost grace and dignity. The least you could do was pour the man a drink to help him relax from a day like that.

Leonard found himself studying your face, looking for any indication of your thoughts about his plan. "Well?" he prompted, breaking you out of your concentration. "What do you think? I'm willing to throw in some cash, or prizes, if that helps," he chuckled nervously.

You grinned at his attempts to alleviate any tension, or to possibly influence your decision. "Oh, no, no, Len. You don't have to do anything like that. I'll do this for you, no strings attached," you affirmed. Given the potential for heartbreak, you were aware that you may regret this, but there was no way you could turn him down. His friendship meant too much for you to do that. Somehow, you'd have to learn to live with the consequences, should they arise.

Just as Leonard thought it was about to all fall apart when you seemed to hesitate, you surprised him by agreeing to his plan. And though you'd said, "no strings attached", Leonard knew his heart was already somewhat tethered to yours. Perhaps these thoughts he's been having of something more with you aren't that unrealistic after all.

Leonard relaxed in his seat at the bar and reached out to take your hand in his. "Well, I don't quite know how to thank you for this, darlin'," he drawled. "They told me the gala was about three weeks from now. As soon as I have the exact date, I'll let you know, in case you need to go shopping or something," he mentioned. "At least let me help you by covering that expense."

You tapped your chin, pretending to think, then turned to Leonard. "Hmm. I s'pose I can live with that," you replied with a smile. "I'm sure I will need to get something to wear, at some point anyway. Not much call for a ballgown and high heels in my 2nd-grade class," you chuckled, as did Leonard. "But my dress remains a secret until that night," you advised, holding up your index finger.

"Fair 'nuff, sweetheart," Leonard grinned.

The two of you chatted for a little while longer until it was time for Leonard to head home. He hardly ever stayed much past eleven on Fridays, and it was now edging close to midnight. "I'll be here Friday night, as usual, so I'll see you then," he remarked. Before he left, he took your hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it, then gave you a roguish wink.

Your eyes followed Leonard as he walked out of the bar and into the night. The navy-blue dress slacks he was wearing clung perfectly to his backside. The top two buttons on his white dress shirt were open, giving you a tantalizing hint of his broad chest. His suit jacket was slung over one shoulder as he waved goodbye to Jim with his other hand.

Jim stood next to you and observed the way you ogled his best friend with your lips slightly parted as you watched him leave the bar. It wasn't until the door closed that you snapped your mouth closed and returned to the task at hand. "So, did Bones have anything interesting to say?" he smirked.

Your head swiveled in Jim's direction, and you rolled your eyes at the smug look on his face. "Oh, shut up, Jim," you muttered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that night after your shift at the bar, you were reflecting on Dr. McCoy's offer as you relaxed on your couch. All you had to do was to pretend to be the woman in his life, long enough for him to sign the agreement for the business deal. After the hospital's charity gala, you could break up with him, and you go back to being just friends. He made it sound uncomplicated. But will it really be that easy?

You could tell yourself all you want that you agreed to his plan because it was about one friend helping another. However, it wasn't that simple, considering your feelings for Leonard, even though you were sure he didn't return them. This arrangement made you wonder if or how you could ever go back to being "just friends", after you'd known what it was like to be his. As your eyelids drooped, your thoughts drifted back to that night when you'd first met Leonard.

>>Flashback

"Good evening, what can I get for you?" you greeted with a bright smile.

Leonard seemed to wince at your cheerfulness. "Bourbon. Please," he grumbled.

You delivered his drink and watched as he threw it back in one go. "Another?" you asked, to which he nodded. "Rough day?" you wondered as you replenished his drink.

Leonard paused mid-sip on his second drink. "Look, I know that bartenders are supposed to be great listeners, but please. I just want to enjoy my drink without anyone trying to shrink my head, especially one of Jim's new bartenders," he muttered. "No offense."

"None taken, but I have a deal for you. I have a joke for you, and if you don't laugh or crack a smile, your next drink is on me. However, if I do get a laugh or smile, no matter how small, you have to say something nice," you proposed.

Leonard's head tilted in curiosity and said he'd take your deal. You told your joke, but you think you messed up the punch line, because Leonard had no reaction. "Guess that means you owe me a drink, darlin'," he remarked.

"I reckon I do," you replied as you poured his next drink, then introduced yourself. He gave his name in return, and he watched as you ran the bar with precision, charm and grace. Throughout the night, you checked in with him, offering little tidbits about your life, while he did the same. You noticed that as the evening progressed, his time between refills got longer, while his laughs and smiles were more frequent.

Eventually, it was time for him to leave, but not without flashing you a smile and mouthing, "thank you". Whether that was thanks for your care and conversation or for making him smile, you didn't care. You had made a difference and that was enough for you.

>>End of Flashback

From that very first interaction with Leonard, a beautiful friendship was born. He came in every Friday night after work, and you got to meet his and Jim's other friends. Soon after meeting everyone, you were welcomed into the friend group as if you'd been there from the beginning. It was a feeling you didn't want to lose, especially once your arrangement with Leonard was over.

Noticing the time, you got up from the couch and stepped into the shower, praying that the hot water would ease your aching muscles. You also hoped it would relax you enough to the point that your brain would slow down enough to let you sleep. For now, you decided to let things happen naturally between you and Leonard, and try not to overthink the situation. Easier said than done, but I've got to try, you thought as your head sank into the pillow.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Well, it's about time," Uhura remarked. You had invited her to lunch because you needed a semi-neutral third party to help sort through your emotions.

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean, 'it's about time'?" you asked.

"I mean exactly that, it's about time Leonard wised up and asked you out on a date," she clarified.

"I suppose it is technically a date. I get all dressed up in a beautiful ballgown, Leonard picks me up from my place and we go to this hospital charity gala thing," you explained. "I'm there so that Len can project an image of 'stability' to the board members. They're all married, and if they think we're together, they'll want to do this deal with him."

Uhura rolled her eyes. "You two, I swear," she muttered under her breath. "Do you not see the way Leonard looks at you? Wh-when we're at the bar and you bring over the next round of drinks, his eyes follow your every move. They stay glued to you until you get back behind the bar," she stated. "I'm tellin' you, that man is smitten with you."

"Nuh-uh, he watches so that if I start to have any trouble because the tray is too heavy or something, he can jump in and help," you countered. "Doesn't mean he has feelings for me, or that he's 'smitten' with me, or anything else like that," you grumbled.

Uhura waved off your feeble explanation. "Never mind that. What happens after the hospital's thingamajig? Does everything go back to 'normal' with you and McCoy?" she wondered.

That's the sixty-four thousand dollar question, isn't it, you thought. "I suppose so, I mean, I don't think either of us have thought that far ahead. Once he signs the contract and the deal goes through, he said I could break up with him and we'd go back to being friends," you explained.

As if Uhura could hear your thoughts, she remarked, "But you're thinking, 'what if that's not what I want', right?" You nodded at her keen observation as she reached over and covered your hand with hers. "Then you have to tell him. Take the leap and trust that Leonard will be there to catch you," she added.

You took a deep breath as you considered Uhura's words. "I'll keep it in mind. For now, I need your help to find a gown that will blow his socks off," you grinned.

"I can definitely help you with that, let's go!" Uhura exclaimed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Across town, a meeting was being held between Dr. McCoy and the two chief physicians at his other clinics. He explained the terms of the deal with Bayview General Hospital, and what it would mean, especially with patient care. The conversation took a turn similar to yours and Uhura's when Leonard mentioned that he would be going to the hospital charity gala with you.

"Really? It's about damn time," remarked Dr. Jordan Wallace, one of his colleagues.

Leonard turned his surprised look towards Dr. Wallace. "Now, what's that supposed to mean?" he wondered.

"It means, Dr. McCoy, that we've been waiting for you to ask her out on a date since you first told us about her," answered Dr. Dylan Clark, another of his colleagues.

Leonard shook his head. "It's not like that between us, we're just friends who have known each other for a long time. They'll assume she's my girlfriend, and why should I correct their assumption?" he pointed out. "I suppose, technically, it is a date. We'll both be dressed up in our best, I'm picking her up from her house, and she'll be by my side for the evening," he explained.

Drs. Wallace and Clark looked at each other, unable to believe that Dr. McCoy, their friend and mentor, was this clueless about his feelings for you. "So, there's nothing more between you? This is only a business deal? What happens after the deal is signed, do you go back to being 'just friends'?" Dr. Clark wondered.

Leonard took a deep breath before answering. "I guess we haven't thought that far ahead, you know, about 'after'. It's not like I haven't ever entertained thoughts of something more with her," he admitted with a wry grin.

"What's so special about her anyway?" Dr. Wallace asked.

"Where do I start?" Leonard grinned. "She's intelligent, selfless, compassionate and has a great sense of humor. Her day job is a 2nd-grade schoolteacher, which should qualify her for sainthood on that alone. But she also works weekends at Jim's bar for some extra cash. On top of everything else, she's one of the most beautiful women I've ever met," he finished.

"Oh yeah, you're gone for this woman, Doc McCoy," Clark chuckled, as did Wallace. "My advice to you is to tell her how you feel. She sounds like an amazing person, and from what you've told us, you'd be perfect for each other. Take the leap and trust that she'll be there to catch you."

Leonard waved his hand to try and get the meeting back on track. "All right, all right, enough about my love life," he grumbled good-naturedly. "So, what are our thoughts on Bayview's offer?" he inquired, getting back to the business at hand.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After lunch with Uhura, you had found the perfect gown, a floor-length burgundy one with tulle overlay and cap sleeves. It had gold sequins on the bodice, at the waist and on the skirt. You found a pair of gold pumps along with some earrings and a necklace to match.

When you got home, you phoned Leonard to let him know so he could match his pocket square to the color of your dress. "Not even a hint as to what it looks like, darlin'?" Leonard chuckled.

"Not even a little hint, Len. A girl has to have some mystery about her. Keeps a man guessin'," you added with a grin you hoped he heard through the phone.

"Well, all right. I s'pose I'll let you have your mystery, sweetheart. Can't wait to see you this Friday, though," Leonard replied softly. "You'll be all dressed up like a princess, while I play the part of the frog," he joked.

"Fortunately for you, a princess can turn the frog back into the prince with only one kiss. And I will be more than happy to bestow one on you. Even though you're already a prince in my book," you remarked shyly.

"That's mighty kind of you to say, sugar," Leonard replied quietly. "Sweet dreams, darlin'," he responded.

"Sweet dreams of you, Len," you whispered, then hung up.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On the night of the gala, your friends Uhura and Christine came over to help you get ready. As you'd told Leonard, there wasn't much occasion for a ballgown and fancy shoes in your classroom. For this reason, you desperately needed your friends as reinforcements. Luckily, Christine was an expert with hair, which she put into a classic updo for you, with a few loose, wispy tendrils to frame your face.

Uhura was your cosmetics expert, keeping it at neutral colors for the most part. While at the same time, she was subtly enhancing your "existent beauty", as she'd called it. However, you were having trouble sitting still for her to apply the eyeliner and mascara. She finally stopped and asked you, "All right, what's going on? I can't finish your makeup if you don't stop fidgeting. What's wrong?"

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. "It's just....tonight might not be as easy as I thought it would be. I mean, yeah, sure, it'll be great when he holds my hand, or puts his arm around my waist, but that's because we're pretending," you explained. "We're putting on an act for those hoity-toity hospital execs so they'll sign this deal with him. What if I make a mistake and blow everything? And....I don't want it to be pretend anymore," you finished in a small voice.

"Oh, honey," Uhura brought you into a hug, being mindful of your hair. "It's going to be all right. Leonard will be by your side the whole night, and he won't let anything happen to you. Just relax and follow his lead. You two have been friends for such a long time that this should almost be like second nature to you," she pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right. If something's going to happen, it should do so naturally, as it would if no one is watching," you mused.

"Exactly, keep it natural. If you want to hold his hand, reach for it. If you need to hold his arm, take it," Christine chimed in. "And if he wants to kiss you, well," she grinned. "Then lock your lips with his and hold on for the ride," she cackled.

Once the laughter died down, Uhura returned to her task of your makeup. As soon as she finished, she and Christine helped you step into your gown and zipped it up. You slipped your feet into a pair of gold pumps with a low heel and headed out to the living room, where you'd left your jewelry. Right after you'd secured your crystal earrings in place, there was a knock at the door and you froze in place.

"He's here," you whispered, your hand rising to cover your mouth.

Uhura rolled her eyes with a grin as she rose from her chair. "Relax, honey, I'll get the door, even though I know it's for you," she smirked. She checked the peephole, turned to you with a wink and a nod of her head. You nodded back and waited with bated breath as she turned the doorknob.

The sight that greeted you was one for which you were not prepared: Leonard McCoy in a tuxedo. The man was devastatingly handsome enough as it was, no matter what he wore, but a tuxedo?? He was a menace to be sure, but in the best of ways. "Good evening, Dr. McCoy. Won't you please come in?" Uhura prompted.

"Thank you, Nyota, I....," Leonard's voice trailed off when his eyes landed on you. "Whoa, sweetheart," he whispered. "You look absolutely exquisite this evening. Truly breathtaking," he added with a warm smile.

"Good evening, Leonard. And thank you," you returned his smile a bit shyly. "You look rather dashing yourself. Charming and handsome is quite the lethal combination, I'll have to keep my eyes on you," you teased. In front of you was the box that held your jewelry for the evening, the necklace still in the case. "Oh, um, excuse me a moment, last part of getting ready," you motioned to the box.

Leonard stepped over to where you were fiddling with the clasp on your necklace with shaking hands. He covered your hands with his own and eased the delicate chain from your hold. "Allow me," he murmured. You turned your back to Leonard and watched as the pendant with your birthstone came into view. An involuntary shiver coursed through your body when Leonard's hands brushed the soft, short hairs at the nape of your neck, which did not go unnoticed.

His hands traveled from your shoulders and down the length of your arms, capturing your delicate hands in his larger ones. Leonard gently nudged you to pivot until you were facing him, a tender smile on his face. "Pretty as a picture, darlin'," he remarked, causing the heat to bloom in your cheeks.

"Hey, that's a great idea," Christine chimed in, holding up her phone. Leonard slipped his arm around your waist, tugging you closer to his side, while you moved to rest your left hand against his chest, palm side down. "Smile," she prompted.

Leonard had shifted so he was facing you more than he faced Christine's camera. His right hand lightly covered your left one, and his eyes focused solely on you. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards in a secret smile, one you were glad only you could see. "I am one lucky man tonight," he whispered. "Shall we?" he asked, to which you nodded.

You picked up your gold, quilted-leather handbag and dropped your phone inside to join your wallet. Leonard held out his arm, so you curled your hand around it and he tucked it close to his side. "Time for us to go. I bid you good evening, ladies. I'll try to have her home at a reasonable hour," he chuckled.

"Take all the time you want, it's not like she has a curfew or anything," Uhura snorted with laughter, which earned her a glare from you. Christine caught the exchange between you and Uhura, which caused her to break out into laughter as well. Leonard grinned and shook his head as he led you out to his car.

Christine pulled up the picture she took of you and Leonard and sighed. Uhura stepped over to peer over Christine's shoulder and let out a sigh. "They're so in love with each other, but neither one of them will admit it. That picture says it all," Uhura remarked while Christine nodded in agreement. "Send that to me, will ya?" she asked.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At the event, you and Leonard were the last of your group to arrive, but that was to be expected. He introduced you as his girlfriend, and explained that you have been together for about five years now. Leonard mentioned that you had met at Jim's bar, and how he knew as soon as he met you, that he wanted to get to know you better.

It made your heart flutter to hear Leonard say that, but you wondered if it was part of the act, or if he truly meant it. You pushed it to the back of your mind when Leonard guided you out onto the dance floor.

As you swayed back and forth, there was a softness in his eyes. Leonard pulled you closer to his side and his hand covered yours, which was laying flat against his chest. When he moved to rest his cheek against the side of your head, you could feel him smile.

After dancing, it was time to find your assigned table for the sit-down dinner. Somewhere between the main course and dessert, the men adjourned to discuss the business proposal from Bayview General Hospital. That left you to fend for yourself with their wives, but you were determined to keep up the façade for Leonard's sake.

Martin Sinclair's wife asked you what you do, and you responded that you were a 2nd-grade school teacher. You earned some polite nods and murmurs of affirmation from a couple of the wives. However, you also got the feeling that the other wives were not known to work outside the home, if ever or at all.

You scanned the room and noticed that the other executives had left Leonard by himself at the bar, sipping a bourbon, no doubt. As gracefully as possible, you excused yourself from the table to check on him.

Not knowing whether the meeting went well or not, you approached Leonard with caution by carefully laying a hand on his bicep. "Len, is everything okay? Where did the others go?" you asked. When he turned to face you, you were greeted with the widest smile you'd ever seen on him.

Leonard looked like he could hardly contain his excitement. "Everything went smoothly, they walked me through the points of their offer. All three clinics will remain open, we continue to serve patients, with no changes in the staff levels. Everyone gets to keep their jobs, and we can all keep doing what we love," he gushed. In a rush of enthusiasm, he pulled you into his arms, lifting your feet off the ground as he gently twirled you around.

When your feet were finally back on the floor, you stayed within Leonard's tender embrace. "All this time," he murmured as his fingers tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. "We've known each other all these years. How am I only now realizing that--" his last thought was interrupted by his phone ringing in his pocket. He explained that it was Dr. Wallace calling to see about the deal, and nodded when you indicated you were going to freshen up.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As you were leaving the ladies' room, you had only opened the door at a small crack when you heard two of the executives talking about the deal. They were congratulating themselves at getting Leonard to accept their terms, a few of which sounded different than what Leonard had told you.

One of them said that one of Leonard's clinics would have to close, because it wasn't profitable to accept all patients without adequate insurance. You decoded that it meant staff would be let go, and the city would lose a valuable and much-needed healthcare resource. Leonard would never agree to a deal that included those terms, thus you had to tell him before he signed anything. You waited until the men left the restroom area, then made your way back to the table.

Leonard checked his watch, anxious at the amount of time you were away from him. He was just about to go and look for you when you had returned to the table. "There you are sweetheart, I was about to send out a search party," he teased. His smile dropped when he saw the look on your face. "Is everything all right?" he asked quietly, growing more nervous by the minute.

"Not really, and I need to talk to you before you sign anything," you rushed out, then moved to a corner of the room near your table.

Leonard's face shifted to a look of concern as he rose from his chair and joined you. "Sweetheart, what's going on?" he wondered.

You relayed what you had heard on your way out of the ladies' room. When you got to the part about the clinic closing and the staff changes, Leonard waved his hands in front of you. "Wait, stop, that's not what's in this deal. They assured me--" he remarked, but you interrupted him.

"I think they told you whatever they needed to so that you would sign their deal. One of them said that it wasn't profitable to accept patients without 'adequate insurance coverage'. That was the reason they were closing one of the clinics," you explained.

Leonard vigorously shook his head. "No, no, you must have heard them wrong. Let's get back to our table so we can finish our evening," he demanded, reaching for your hand.

You pulled your hand out of his reach. "You can't sign that deal, Leonard. Please don't. You've worked so hard to get to where you are, and you're doing so much good for the city. I am immensely proud of you for that. But these men don't have your best interests at heart. All they see is profit and loss," you muttered.

"Can't you see what this deal means to me and my staff? To my patients? We can keep serving our patients like we always have, except now we'll have access to so many more resources! This deal is a good thing!" he exclaimed.

"Not if it comes at the expense of your patients, your staff and yourself," you replied sadly.

Leonard paused for a moment. "You know, it all must look so simple when viewed from the perspective of a 2nd-grade school teacher and part-time bartender," he shot back, his hands on his hips.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" you retorted.

"I mean, it's kind of hard to take the advice from someone whose biggest decision is what subject to teach a bunch of second graders every day. Meanwhile, I need to consider how I can best meet the needs of my staff and my patients. On top of that, I have real life-and-death situations to deal with." He watched as the color drain from your face at his response. Once the words were out of his mouth, he wanted nothing more than to cram them back in.

"Is that what you think about my job? About me? That my profession is inferior to yours, or that I am somehow 'less than'?" you countered. When Leonard didn't respond, you dropped your gaze to the floor. "Right. Well, you got your deal. Therefore, you no longer need me, so now we can break up. And I don't ever want to see you again," you croaked. "Goodbye, Leonard," you whispered. You picked up the skirt of your gown and rushed back to the table and grabbed your handbag before running out of the venue.

"NO! Sweetheart, wait!" Leonard shouted. He started to race after you, but was stopped by Mr. Sinclair.

"Is everything all right, Dr. McCoy? Looks like a little trouble in paradise, if you ask me," Sinclair smirked.

Leonard looked the hospital CEO in his eyes. "Yeah, well, I didn't ask you. The reason we were arguing was because of something she heard about your business proposal. You know, the part where you close one of my clinics and people lose their jobs. I believe you forgot to mention that in our agreement. I'd hate to think you'd lie to me about such an important aspect of the deal," he challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

For his part, Sinclair looked nervous for about a half second, then quickly recovered. "Is that what she's up in arms about? Dr. McCoy, she's a school teacher. What does she know about making such complex business deals? Besides, we were going to discuss the staffing issue with you after the deal was signed. That way, we can decide how to best incorporate your resources with ours," he lied smoothly.

Leonard ran his hand over his face as he realized you'd been telling the truth and prevented him from making the biggest mistake in his life. Well, one of the biggest anyway. "I don't believe this. First of all, how dare you insult my girlfriend like that! Especially when she was right about you. Secondly, why would you lie to me about something this important?" he huffed. "Never mind, I don't care to hear your reasons or your excuses. Deal's off," he snapped on his way out of the ballroom.

As soon as he burst out of the front doors, Leonard's eyes frantically searched up and down the street, praying for a glimpse of you. A flash of gold caught his eye just as you finished tucking your skirt inside the taxi and you closed the door. Leonard ran and shouted for the taxi to stop before it pulled away from the curb, but it was too late and you were too far away. He pulled out his phone and dialed your number, only to have his call go directly to voicemail. With a string of curse words, he tried to call you again and again, with the same result.

Leonard slumped against the building trying to catch his breath, while silently mulling over what he'd lost this evening. He blew the deal, but for a good reason and he had no regrets about his decision to do so. There was no good reason for what happened with you, though, and there were oh so many regrets. He trudged to the valet station and handed over his ticket. Time to head home and see how long it would take to drown his sorrows in bourbon before he simply passed out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the taxi dropped you off, you noticed that Christine's and Uhura's vehicles were still in your driveway. No doubt they want to hear how the evening went, you thought with a grimace. You fumbled in your handbag for your keys, but stopped when Uhura yanked open the door. Her eyes grew wide at seeing you alone on your front porch with Leonard nowhere in sight.

"Did I see you get dropped off by a taxi?" she asked. You nodded and dropped your gaze to the ground, not wanting her to see your face with your eyes red and puffy from crying. She stepped back enough to allow you to enter the house. You stepped out of your shoes, then picked them up and took them to your bedroom. "What happened? And where's Leonard?" Uhura inquired.

You heaved a deep sigh. "I need to get out of this dress first, then I promise I will answer all of your questions," you replied wearily. Before she closed your door, Uhura unzipped your dress so you could step out of it and put it back on the hanger. Once you had changed into your pajamas and fuzzy slippers, you stopped in the kitchen for a glass of water, then took a seat on the couch.

"The evening started off so well. Every time Leonard introduced me to someone as his girlfriend, all the butterflies in my stomach took off in flight. Deep down, I knew it was for show, but at the time, I didn't care. Anyway, we had a couple of dances before a lovely dinner. Then, right before dessert and coffee, Leonard and the execs stepped away to discuss the deal," you explained.

"Leaving you with the wives, I assume. That must have been fun," Christine muttered, rolling her eyes.

You chuckled softly and nodded. "It was okay. All part and parcel of the whole 'fake girlfriend' gig, I suppose," you mused. After taking a long drink of your water, you continued. "I saw Len standing by the bar, so I went over there to see how it went. He was so happy when he told me that they want to do the deal and explained some of the terms. I think he was about to say something important, but one of the doctors from his clinic was calling him for an update. So I excused myself to the restroom."

"All good, so far. What happened next?" Uhura asked.

"When I was coming out of the ladies' room, I heard two of the execs talking about the deal. Their terms were very different from what Leonard told me. I waited for them to leave then I returned to the table. I must've looked upset, because Leonard and I stepped aside, then I told him what I'd heard," you remarked.

"And how did he take it?" Christine wondered.

You took a deep breath and dropped your gaze to your hands, where your fingers were twisting in your lap. "Um....not well? I guess? He didn't believe me, said I must have heard wrong. I tried to convince him not to sign anything, because they were lying to him just to get him to agree to the deal. Then he...." your voice trailed off.

"Go on, what did he say next?" Uhura inquired in a tight voice.

"He said uh....he-he kind of indicated that as a 2nd-grade teacher, I have a rather simple view of things. That I couldn't possibly understand how complicated this deal is, or how beneficial it will be for everyone," you swallowed back a sob.

"He said that??" Christine gasped.

You nodded slowly. "I told him that if that's what he thinks of my job, of me, then he didn't need me anymore since he got his deal. I said we could break up now, and I didn't want to ever see him again. After that, I ran back to the table, grabbed my purse, and bolted out of the venue. One of the valets hailed a taxi for me, and Leonard's been blowing up my phone ever since I left." From the couch cushion next to you, a text notification sang out, so you held up your phone for Uhura and Christine to see.

Uhura made a noise of disgust, then scowled and held her hand out. You passed over your phone, which she promptly turned off then handed back to you. "There. Leave it off for the night, and you can decide in the morning if you want to talk to him," she advised, and you nodded in response.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The weekend passed without any contact from you, which did nothing but fuel Leonard's concern for you. As far as he could tell, his text messages went unread and he had no idea if you listened to his voicemails. He went to The Space Dock on Saturday night, hoping to catch you at work. Jim told him that you'd taken the weekend off for personal reasons, deepening Leonard's anxiety about you.

That night after the gala, Leonard indeed went home and had more than a few swigs of bourbon. He wanted to drown out the memories of the evening, even though it had all started so well. Leonard was proud to introduce you to everyone as his girlfriend, something he wished was his reality, not fiction. The two of you even enjoyed a couple of turns around the dance floor before sitting down for dinner.

After the main course, the business portion of the evening occurred, where Sinclair and the others outlined their proposal. Everything seemed good on paper: no staff reduction and no clinic closures, just business as usual with access to more technology. He shook hands with Sinclair and the others, who advised him that the contracts would be sent to his office for signatures.

It all started to fall apart after you got back to the table and told him what you'd heard. You tried your best to convince Leonard that this deal wouldn't benefit him the way he thought it would. Problem was, he was too wrapped up in seeing its advantages that he didn't want to believe in anything that would threaten it.

So he lashed out and said those awful things to you, belittling your profession, diminishing your sense of self. Leonard could swear he witnessed the exact moment your heart shattered into thousands of pieces from the force of his words. And the light leaving your eyes was something he never wanted to see again as long as he lived, especially since he was responsible. You ran out before he could catch up to you and the taxi took you away from him before he could stop it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday morning found Leonard at his desk, which was full of paperwork that needed various levels of his attention. Instead, he stared at his phone, willing you to answer at least one of his text messages or respond to one of his voicemails. Even if you told him to never contact you again, it would be some kind of answer. He was about to call Uhura or Christine for an update on you, when the door to his office flew open.

"What in the hell did you do that night?" Jim thundered. Leonard's office assistant, Abby, was close behind, trying to pull Jim back out of the office.

Leonard motioned to Abby that everything was okay and that he would take care of the situation from here. She nodded and closed the door behind her, then Leonard turned his attention to his visitor. "Now, Jim I-" he started.

"She quit, Leonard. My best bartender quit. Said she was sorry, and that it was for personal reasons, but she refused to elaborate. Now, I'm aware of her agreeing to be your pretend girlfriend, thus I can only surmise that something terrible went down that night because of it. So, out with it. What did you do?" Jim demanded, his arms crossed over his chest.

Leonard took a deep breath before responding. "Okay. Here's what happened," he relented, then ran through the events of that night. Jim eased himself into a chair and as he listened, he did a thorough review of Leonard's appearance. Dr. McCoy had a weekend's worth of stubble, coupled with a defeated expression on his face. Whatever happened, Jim could see that it greatly affected both of you, because he knew you weren't faring much better.

When Leonard finished his story, Jim sat back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. "Wow. What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"I don't know, Jim. Right before you walked in, I was about to call Christine or Uhura to see if they would at least tell me how she was doing. However, I'm pretty sure they won't tell me anything. 'Girl Code' and all, I suppose," Leonard muttered, then he turned his sad expression to Jim. "I need to know how she is and explain how sorry I am for what I said," he implored. "And I have to tell her how I feel."

Jim thought for a few minutes then sat up in his chair and leaned his elbows onto Leonard's desk. "I have an idea, but it's nothing elaborate," he started.

"Go ahead. At this point, I'll do just about anything to get her back. She deserves the world, and I want to be the one to give it to her," Leonard declared.

Jim clapped his hands, then rubbed them together with glee, the complete opposite mood he had when he walked in. "Okay then. Here's what we do," he grinned.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"All right, class, when I get back, we'll start the next chapter for Where the Red Fern Grows," you promised. "For now, finish up your math worksheets from earlier today, otherwise please sit quietly until I return," you directed. A few moments ago, you'd received a text message from Margaret, the principal's assistant, asking you to please come down to the office.

When you were still a few feet away, you gasped in shock to see Leonard standing there with a bouquet of white and yellow tulips and pink roses. You stopped short in your path to the office, not wanting to be seen. Just as you turned around to go back to your classroom, Margaret called out your name and you cursed under your breath. Leonard's eyes caught yours and you could see the apology and regret, but you weren't exactly ready to forgive him quite yet.

"Margaret, what's this all about? I was getting ready to start our reading session when you called me down here," you narrowed your gaze. "I really don't have time for this. Besides, I told you that I don't want to ever see you again. I'm going back to my class," you directed at Leonard, then turned on your heel and started walking down the hall.

Leonard rushed out of the office and managed to catch your arm, which you promptly removed from his grasp. "Wait, please sweetheart, I need to talk to you," he pleaded.

"You said enough that night, Leonard McCoy. Your feelings about me and my chosen profession were made quite clear at the gala. I hope you still got everything you wanted after I left," you replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, my class is waiting to see what happens next with Big Dan and Little Ann," you remarked as you resumed your path back to class.

This time, Leonard didn't stop you, only stared after you to see what room you went into then wandered after you. He only got a few steps when Margaret tapped his shoulder, a laminated card on a lanyard in her hand. "If you're going to be roaming these halls, you must have a visitor's badge," she explained.

Leonard slipped it over his head then gave Margaret a brief smile. "Thank you."

"Listen. I don't know what's going on with you two. All I know is that in these past few weeks, she's been smiling a little easier and seems happier. I hope you work out whatever it is between you, because she's one of the best 2nd-grade teachers we have. You'll find her in Room 23B," Margaret winked.

Leonard's face broke out into a huge toothy grin. "Thank you, Margaret. I don't intend to let her get away," he winked back and headed for Room 23B. When he arrived, he noticed that the glass window by your door was covered in construction paper cutouts of stars. Each star had a student's name on it, and at the top of the window read the caption, "Reach For the Stars".

He peered into your room, where you were reading from a well-worn, leather-bound book, Where the Red Fern Grows. Although he couldn't hear your words aloud, Leonard could tell from your facial expressions that you were bringing the story to life. It was at that moment he saw how much of your heart and soul were invested in your profession. He understood more now why his words had hurt so much that night.

Leonard was about to walk away when a student turned towards the door and caught his eye. The student must have said something to you, because you stopped reading and quickly left your seat. You marched towards the door and yanked it open. By the time you slipped out into the hallway, you were fuming. "Are you out of your mind? How dare you interrupt my class time!" you hissed.

He held up his hands, pleading with you. "Wait! Please! All I want is a chance to explain myself. If you want nothing more to do with me after that, I promise I'll respect your decision," Leonard promised.

You shook your head. "No, you need to go home, Leonard, because I cannot have this conversation with you right now," you retorted. You spun on your heel and reentered your classroom, pulling on the door to close it behind you. However, it didn't completely latch, leaving a sliver of opportunity.

Leonard took a deep breath, checked the bouquet in his hand and nudged open the door. He saw your eyes widen with each step until he was standing before you at the front of the room. "I don't believe this! Leonard, please, now is not the time for--" Leonard stopped your rant with a swift press of his lips to yours.

At first you fought the urge to give in to what you've wanted since you first met Leonard, so you don't return his kiss. Not at first, anyway. But Leonard was persistent and didn't let your resistance deter him in the slightest. "I'm sorry, but this was the only way I could think of to get you to stop talking," he murmured.

Suddenly you were aware that twenty-five pairs of eyes were trained on the two of you, which caused a heat to bloom in your cheeks. "Um, don't look now, but we have an audience," you replied sheepishly.

You looked at the faces of your students, some smiling, but all fully paying attention to the drama unfolding before them. No doubt your real-life story was more interesting than the book your class was currently reading. You were their beloved teacher, and they had to see how it would play out.

At this realization, you snapped back to reality and the situation at hand. "Just answer me one thing, Leonard. Was any of it real for you? The stories, the compliments, did you mean any of it? I know what we said when we started this, but I've wanted it to be real for a long time. I-I am in love with you, Leonard McCoy," you declared softly.

Leonard audibly sighed with relief. "Sweetheart, of course it was real. I meant everything I said about you. When we met, how happy I was to be with you these past five years....how beautiful you were that night," he revealed. "And still are," he whispered. "I'm in love with you, too," he affirmed.

You tenderly cradled his jaw and stroked his cheek with your thumb, smiling when you felt him lean into your touch. "Class, what do you say? Show of hands for inviting Dr. McCoy to join us for the rest of class," you called, your eyes still trained on Leonard. Every hand shot straight into the air. "It's just me reading Where the Red Fern Grows," you murmured.

A grin slowly stretched across his face, then he leaned forward to touch his forehead to yours. "Good thing Margaret set me up with a visitor's badge, huh?" Leonard chuckled. "I would love to join you and your class," he remarked.

"Remind me to thank Margaret on my way out today," you giggled. Leonard nodded, then took your hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it. He picked up an empty chair and positioned it near your chair at the front of the room. When you reopened the book, you winked at Leonard before returning to where you'd left off in the story.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking @spacedancer1701 @anna-phora @hailbop1701 @writercole @lassie-bird @never--doubt @phoenixisred @wayward-dreamer @erindiggory @strangesgirls @dumpsterhippie @genevablog26 @lokis-deares @medicatemedrmccoy @rooweighton @mamamercurymist @d-doki-doki @malmeansbad @imamotherfuckingstar-lord​

[hoplesslydevotedtomusic]

Hey everyone! so i’m planning on doing ships again, and then most likely going to get back into writing fanfic again. here’s the fandoms and people/characters i’m intending on writing for! if anyone has any other suggestions though! please let me know!

The Beatles

paul mccartney

george harrison

ringo starr

i’m not too sure about writing for john lennon, though he used to be one of my comfort people back in the day, i’ve obviously matured and learnt of his problematic behaviour, and therefore i’d like to hear other people’s opinions on writing for him before i make any decisions.

Queen

freddie mercury

brian may (MY LOVE🫶🫶🫶)

roger taylor

john deacon

Other Musicians

eddie Vedder

dave grohl

kurt cobain

slash

stevie nicks

elvis presley (and austin butler as elvis)

Criminal Minds

spencer reid

aaron hotchner

derek morgan

emily prentiss

jennifer jareau

penelope garcia

david rossi

elle greenway

Spiderman

tasm!peter (garfield)

spider-man 1,2 and 3 (maguire)

also please note that i don’t write for any other marvel characters!

Actors

adam driver

andrew garfield

borhap cast (gwil, ben, joe, rami and lucy)

Stranger Things

mike wheeler

nancy wheeler

will byers

jonathan byers

joyce byers

jim hopper

eleven/jane hopper

dustin henderson

max mayfield

billy hargrove

steve harrington

robyn buckley

lucas sinclair

eddie munson

Phantom Of The Opera

erik destler (the phantom)

christine daae

raul de chagny

there’s probably so many more fandoms i’m willing to write for, so please send me suggestions🙏🙏

also, as of now, all of my writing will be x reader!

SHIPS AND REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!

[ghost-rullx]

RULES AND SOME INFORMATION

MASTERLIST.

Requests: OPEN.

What I write:

Male, GN, genderfluid, nonbinary, and trans reader.

Platonic stuff.

NSFW (I'm not good at it, but I make an effort).

SFW.

Character x character (this depends on who the characters are).

Angst, fluff, basically anything :).

What I will not write:

Abuse.

Pedophilia.

Teacher/student.

Matchups.

Male!preg or omega verse (I'm sorry, but I have no idea how to write that).

Some information before starting:

I will try to write as much as I can, however, I ask for respect and patience, I'm also a human and I cannot do everything at once <3.

Constructive criticism is welcome!! I would love for you to help me improve in what I do.

Homophobia, transphobia, or anything like that will be blocked, this is meant to be a safe and healthy space.

Please respect my rules, I really don't want to block anyone.

English is not my native language so I apologize for any misspelling or grammar mistakes.

You can find my masterlist using the #masterlist from this post.

Fandom list (I will add or remove fandoms):

The phantom of the opera (& related fandoms).

Erik (The Phantom). (2004 movie, Leroux, Susan Kay, the play by Andrew Lloyd Webber)

Christine Daaé.

Meg Giry.

Raoul de Chagny.

Nadir Khan.

BNHA.

All the students (except Monoma).

All the teachers.

Dabi.

Shigaraki.

Toga.

Twice.

Sherlock Holmes (either the BBC show or the book).

Sherlock Holmes.

John Watson.

Mycroft Holmes.

Greg Lestrade.

Molly Hooper.

Hannibal (& related fandoms).

Hannibal Lecter.

Will Graham.

Harry Potter (& related fandoms).

Harry Potter.

All the Weasley.

Draco Malfoy.

Hermione Granger.

The Marauders.

Severus Snape.

Scamander brothers.

Tina Goldstein.

Queenie Goldstein.

Percy Jackson (& related fandoms, i love uncle Rick).

Honestly, I'm more than willing to write about most of them.

Demon slayer.

The Hashiras.

Tanjiro Kamado.

Nezuko Kamado.

Zenitsu Agatsuma.

Inosuke Hashibira.

Marvel (Either MCU or comics, with this I include X-Men, fantastic four, Deadpool ...).

Honestly, I'm more than willing to write about most of them.

Slashers.

Michael Myers.

Brahms Heelshire.

Bubba Sawyer.

Thomas Hewitt

Jason Vorhees.

Billy Loomis.

Stu Macher.

Jigsaw (John Kramer).

The Sinclair brothers.

Attack on titan.

Erwin Smith.

Levi Ackerman.

Hange Zoë.

Mike Zacharius.

Eren Jaeger.

Mikasa Ackerman.

Armin Arlert.

Jean Kirschtein.

Connie Springer.

Zeke Jaeger.

DC comics.

Honestly, I'm more than willing to write about most of them.

Encanto (however, Antonio will be strictly platonic).

Honestly, I'm more than willing to write about most of them.

Arcane.

Everyone.

Especially Silco.

Obey me.

Everyone as well.

Luke will be strictly platonic.

Mystic Messenger.

Everyone except Rika.

[uswntfics]

Overprotective: Alphas Preath x Canadian omega reader

A/N: I hope y’all enjoyed this! This was based on a lovely request for overprotective alphas Preath x reader. My requests are open so feel free! Ps. I triple checked, but please let me know if I misgendered Quinn at any point so I can fix it.

Y/N shook a little as she put on her red jersey. She was the newest call up for the Canadian National Team and of course her first start was against their bitter rivals, the USWNT.

“You okay little one?” Christine Sinclair asked, causing Tanc, and a number of the other veterans to look over in worry.

Y/N was able to fight off the urge to roll her eyes as a small smile appeared on her face. At 20 she was one of the younger players on the team which always leads to the veterans being protective, but it was a whole other thing that she also happened to be an omega who had not found her mates yet.

This meant that she was rarely left on her own, the older omegas and alphas alike on the team always ensuring that she had everything she needed, that she was comfortable and safe and that other alphas didn’t get too close to her.

“Yeah, just nervous.” Y/N said, leaning in to the woman who had basically became her Mom since she had joined the National Team. And Sinc was the first to find out that she was going to join the Portland Thorns after this year, planning to take her last few credits online as she was going to graduate a year or two earlier than expected. Which had of course made her even more maternal and protective.

“Don’t be nervous kid. You know we’ve got your back. Plus you’re one of the best players in the world right now. You’re going to crush it as always.” Tanc said, messing up her hair making Y/N pout.

The team laughed and Janine patted Y/N’s arm. “You got this kid.” Janine said pulling Y/N into a side hug, rubbing her back comfortingly for a few seconds before she got called away, pressing a quick kiss to Y/N’s cheek causing her to blush and pout about being babied constantly.

Jessie smiled at Y/N as she watched all of your other teammates bombard her. Y/N stuck her tongue out atJessie, knowing that she enjoyed the fact that they didn’t baby her quite as much anymore now that Y/N had joined the team.

Jessie just laughed, shrugging her shoulders, knowing that just like her, Y/N secretly enjoyed the older players doting on her.

Y/N lined up behind Quinn with Rhian behind her. Y/N started to tense up, her hands shaking. “Hey Y/N, what did the fish say when it hit the wall?” Quinn asked.

Y/N looked up at her friend, knowing what they were doing. Quinn has an uncanny ability of always knowing when Y/N was anxious and how to snap her out of it.

A slow smile creeped up on Y/N’s face as she looked at her friend. “I have no idea Quinn. What did it say?” Y/N asked.

“DAM!!!” Quinn screamed, starting to laugh obnoxiously. Making Y/N giggle at her friend’s dorkiness.

“There’s that smile. You got this Buddy.” Quinn grinned, grabbing their mascot’s small hand as the walkout music started to play. Y/N looked at her little mascot, her brown hair in a ponytail and a gap between her teeth.

The little girl beamed and took Y/N’s hand into hers. The little girl had to be 4 or 5. “You do good!!” The little girl squealed confidently making Y/N smile and laugh as she walked with her cute mascot onto the pitch.

Y/N’s nerves started to calm down as she was surrounded by her teammates in the huddle “I know we’ve got this game. I know everyone is counting us out but we have luck on our side because it’s baby duck’s first start today! They won’t know what hit them!! Tank cheered.

The team laughed at Y/N’s exaggerated pout at her nickname. Before long Y/N found herself in her place on the back line in front of Erin, who was also really protective of her little defender.

“Ready to crush your first start ducky?” Erin asked, making Y/N’s nerves disappear fully as she playfully glared at one of her favorite people.

“Well I know y’all have my back so I think so.” Y/N said sincerely and Erin grinned and ruffled her hair. “Show them what you’re made of kid!” Erin called as she took her place between the posts.

The ref blew the whistle and I focused on the game as USA kicked off.

It was nearly half time as Y/N was taken off her feet once again by a US player, this time it was Lindsay Horan. Erin helped Y/N up as Tanc and Sinc yelled at the ref for not calling the umpteenth foul that was committed against Y/N.

“They wouldn’t be going after you if you weren’t crushing it kid.” Erin said, clapping Y/N’s shoulder. It was only a few more minutes until the whistle was blown at halftime.

Coach tried his best to give his halftime pep talk as all of the veterans doted over Y/N, Janine and Sinc putting ice on her right ankle and left knee as Tanc ranted that “If my child is taken down one more time there will be hell to pay.”

Y/N couldn’t help but smile, though she’d never actually admit it she enjoyed her teammates babying her most of the time.

“Okay ladies, I heard Press and Heath are subbing in at the half. Mark them well and watch for Press’s speed and Heath’s ball skills. Okay we got this. Let’s go ladies!”

The team headed back out and warmed up for a few minutes before both teams lined up and Sinc kicked off the second half.

Right from the get go Y/N was amazed by Heath’s ball skills. She was able to contain the play with her speed, until she was clipped in her already sore ankle, going down with a temp of pain and a few tears slipping down her face.

She could hear the uproar as pretty much all of the team’s veterans were yelling at either the ref or the player who had gotten her in the ankle.

A soft hand touched her shoulder and she looked into the green eyes of the US striker and felt the mate bond settle into place.

Before Y/N could see much Heath jumped in and as Y/N met her eyes, she felt the mate bond too. Christen held her tightly as Tobin yelled for medics and proceeded to push Sam Mewis backwards with a snarl for hurting her mate.

“What the hell Tobin?!” Rose asked as she patted a shocked Sam’s shoulder. The Canadians stopped yelling, confused by Tobin going off on her own teammate.

“You hurt my mate, I hurt you.” Tobin growled, starting to throw herself at Sam. Everyone’s eyes widened as Pinoe caught Tobin, Quinn helping Megan hold Tobin back.

“Oh hell no!” Tanc and Sinc yelled as they stomped toward where Christen was a holding Y/N as she cried as the medics were moving her ankle.

“Get away from her!” Tanc yelled, letting out dominant pheromones, causing Y/N to cower a bit, her mega close to the surface because of the pain and finding her mates.

Christen glared at the Canadian veterans but did her best to remain calm for Y/N, releasing calming pheromones, which made the younger omega relax into her embrace more.

“Tons and I won’t hurt her Sinc. You know that.” Christen said.

Sinc sighed and nodded as Tobin came rushing back just as the trainers said “It looks like a sprain, we’re going to take you off, but you should be good in a few days to a week.” The make alpha said, going to help the omega up and to the sidelines. Christen and Tobin growled, Tobin carefully picking up their newfound mate and starting toward the sideline, Christen glaring at anyone who dare to come close.

Sinc, Tanc and Erin were loath to admit it, but they could all tell that the two American alphas were going to be good for their little ducky.

“Heath!!” Sinc yelled as Tobin and Christen made their way back to the field after making sure their mate was comfortable on the sideline.

Tobin turned toward her club captain as Christine smirked a little “Congrats but you hurt her, and they’ll never find the body.”

Tobin rolled her eyes but smiled, clapping her Canadian friend on the shoulder “You know we won’t but thanks for looking out for her.”

Sinc nodded as both the teams went to line up again, both Mewis and Heath being shown yellow cards.

Y/N watched the exchange and blushed when Christen winked at her after scoring a goal. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad having two more overprotective alphas in her life. Y/N thought with a smile.

[gamergirl929]

Hey (Christen Press x Reader)

Anonymous Request: ikr ur requests are closed but like i j had an idea that popped into my head and i think you’re the best writer on here lol: r and press are on opposite teams and basically r goes to tackle press in a game and press ends up on top of her and they j kinda forget they’re in a game and like boom sparks fly and all that jazz lmao

Christen Press had been on your ass since she was subbed in, in the 70th minute, the woman in no way letting up, the proverbial gas pedal to the floor.  

You were winded, you’d been in for the entire 70 minutes, and with a fresh Christen Press on your heels you were quickly being dominated.  

You sprinted down field in an attempt to catch the woman, sliding into her, sure to keep your cleats down as you attempted to swipe the ball.  

In your haste to take the ball from the forward, you’d accidently hooked your leg with hers, the two of you tumbling to the ground, well, you tumbled to the ground, Christen on the other hand landed RIGHT on top of you.  

Christen pushes herself up on her palms, her hands on either side of your head as her wide green orbs lock with your Y/E/C’s.  

The forward’s orbs dart around your face for a moment before her lips split into a dazzling grin, a grin you can’t help but return.  

“H-Hey.” You stammer, the woman on top of you giggling.  

“Hey.”  

“I’m Y/N...” You mumble nervously, cheeks flushed from more than the exertion of the game.  

Christen’s grin impossibly widens, her green orbs smiling as well.  

“I’m Christen.”

Someone clearing their throat makes the two of you turn away, your eyes widening when you realize exactly where you are.  

“Hate to break up the love fest, but we’re in the middle of a game.” Emily nudges Christen with her foot and she leaps to her feet, holding her hand out to you, a hand you immediately take.  

Christen pulls you to your feet, the woman holding your hand for MUCH longer than necessary.  

“Uhhh...” You swallow hard, the forward giving your hand a squeeze before reluctantly letting go.  

You nod once, twice, a third time before you clear your throat.  

“Yeah.” You say before running off, cheeks blood red.  

Christen watches you go with a grin, the woman’s attention only turning away from you when she gets a nudge from one of her teammates, that teammate being Tobin Heath.  

Tobin gives her a knowing wink, her best friend rolling her eyes as she jogs back into position, but not before she sends a glance your way, the woman finding your Y/E/C orbs on her already before you abruptly turn away, cheeks blood red. 

Christen giggles as she moves back into position, the whistle blowing as play again starts.  

                                                         ***

Seconds after the whistle blows, Christen’s green orbs are scanning the field in search of you, the woman blinking rapidly when she realizes what she’s doing.  

“Your girlfriend is by the benches.”  

Christen’s eyes narrow as she sends Kelley a glare, the defender only grinning back.  

“Shut up.” She mumbles before turning and heading towards the Canadian WNT benches, the forward grinning when she spots you talking to Christine Sinclair.  

Sinclair smirks when she spots her, the woman nodding her head in Christen’s direction.  

You turn on your heels, your eyes widening when you see Christen making her way towards you.  

Sinclair sends you a stealthy wink before heading towards Tobin and her other Portland Thorn’s teammates.  

You shuffle nervously from foot to foot as she heads towards you, the woman stopping in front of you, her hands in her short’s pockets.  

“Hey.” She smiles, a smile you can’t help but return.  

“Hey.”  

                                                         ***

A growl leaves you as your eyes flutter open, the darkened room telling you that it’s still night time.  

You briefly wonder what it was that had woken you, but the sound of a cry makes you slip out of bed.

You yawn as you head down the hallway to your daughter’s room.  

You wipe your eyes tiredly, stopping beside her crib the little girl’s bottom lip poking out, tears sliding down her little pink cheeks from her bright green orbs.  

She holds her tiny arms out to you and you grin, taking the little girl into your arms.  

The 6-month-old immediately buries her face in your neck, the baby gurgling softly.  

“Better?” You whisper, bouncing on your feet and she coos, the little girl babbling. 

“Oh really?” You ask, earning another round of babbling from the little body in your arms.  

“Tell me more.” You whisper, frowning when she again starts to cry.  

“Aww, what’s wrong sweetie? Hungry?” You ask the little girl’s bottom lip trembling.  

“Mama’s got you.” You say as you head towards the kitchen, unaware that your wife had woken up and is currently following you to the kitchen.  

“Tummy’s got the rumblies huh?” You ask as you prepare a bottle, the little girl latching onto it the second she’s able.  

You smile softly down at the baby, your eyes glazing over.  

“You know mama loves you more than anything in the world?” You whisper, grinning when she looks up at you, her green orbs as bright as her mother’s.  

You jump when a pair of arms slip around you, a grin stretching across your face as your wife’s chin settles on your shoulder.  

“Someone was hungry.” Christen whispers, turning her head to kiss your cheek, the two of you staring down at the little girl in your arms.  

“Sounds like someone I know who sneaks Oreos in the middle of the night.” You turn to her with a smirk and Christen gasps.  

“You only know that because you’re usually dipping into the ice cream.” She teases and you huff.  

“You must be thinking of your OTHER wife.” You bite your tongue between your teeth and Christen scoffs.  

“There’s only ONE woman I want to sleep next to.”  

“Who is she?” You ask, smiling softly when you realize your daughter is fighting sleep in your arms.  

You gently pull the bottle from her mouth, smiling when, instead of fussing, her little eyelids flutter.  

“Let’s go sweetie.” You whisper, basically tip toeing down the hallway towards her room, as to not wake her.  

Christen watches you go with a grin, the woman following silently behind you, rounding the corner in time to see you lowering her into her crib.  

“We love you so much sweetie.” You whisper, ducking down to kiss her forehead, the baby smacking her lips together as she wiggles in her sleep.  

You stroke her cheek with the back of your index finger, your heart swelling in your chest.  

A pair of arms slip around you from behind and your eyes flutter shut.  

Christen grins as you lean back against her, eventually turning in her hold, your nose brushing hers.  

“H-Hey.” You whisper, the retired forward grinning, your stammer taking her back to the moment the two of you met on field so many years ago.  

She grins, closing the distance between the two of you, your lips meeting in a tender, loving kiss.  

The two of you part, neither going far as you stare into one another’s eyes.  

Christen beams.  

“Hey.”  

You rub your nose against hers.  

“I love you.” You whisper, Christen closing the distance between you again, her lips brushing yours as she whispers.

“I love you too.”  

[sunshine-theseus]

The Game That Changed Our Lives | Katrina Gorry x Reader

Words: 2.3k

Summary: your sister retires but you found the girl. (I know how her final game went but I’m changing it because I can. again apologies it's not my best)

Warnings: nothing really but reader is like 26ish? So it’s like a 5 year age difference. And I’m gonna say Harper is like 4 not 2 for the sake of the timeline. Also please pretend there’s like at least a week between the 2 games.

Requested by - @liverpoolfan96

“Christiiine. You can’t make me! I refuse!” I try to pull my arm out of her grip as she drags me onto the field.

“You’ve been crushing on her since we played against them at the World Cup, you’re going to meet her.” Christine continues to drag me through the celebrations of our teammates, the British Columbia rain pelting down on us and the Australian players.

“Plus, after our final game in Vancouver, who knows when you’ll see her next. And I’m your older sister, I’m required to make you do things you don’t want to.” She abruptly stops in front of Steph Cately, who is talking to Caitlin Foord and Katrina Gorry.

Christine hugs her former Portland teammates before turning to Katrina, who now has her little girl resting on her hip. The group begins talking amongst themselves and I zone out, until an arm wraps around my shoulders and squeezes me.

“This is my little sister. I apologise you haven’t met her yet, she’s awfully shy, especially when she likes someone.” She pointedly comments toward Katrina. I shove my elbow into her ribs and glare up at her before turning toward the Australian girl. My face is flushed, and my palms are sweating as I make eye contact with Katrina, who smiles at me before picking up the little girls hand and makes her wave. It’s painfully adorable to watch.

“It’s nice to meet you…”

“Y/n” I smile at the shorter woman as I watch Christine, Steph and Caitlin slowly move away from us out of the corner of my eye.

I talk to her for a relatively long time, eventually finding myself sitting on the wet pitch, my feet touching Kat’s as Harper runs back and forth between us, occasionally actually holding the ball we’re throwing. But then we’re both called by our respective teams to get back to the locker rooms before going back to our hotels. We bid each other goodbye, exchanging numbers before I crouch down and hug Harper.

I spend the following days excessively texting Kat, or Mini as everyone endearingly seemed to call her. I also facetime them after dinners to talk to Harper, who apparently begs all day to see me. I tell everyone who will listen, about the beautiful Australian and her precious little girl who adores me. It doesn’t take more than 10 minutes for Christine, or whoever else it may be, to tell me to shut up most times. Except Jessie, who is either far too polite to say anything, or has her headphones on and therefore isn’t actually listening. In her times of need, she messages Janine, who comes to rescue her.

~~~~~

The day of our match in Vancouver at BC Place, temporarily renamed Christine Sinclair Place, I unintentionally go dead silent. It was naturally an emotional day for us all, but being the sister of the world’s top goal scorer who is finally retiring, having played with her all my life, and being there to see her hang up her boots? It had me tearing up every time I even looked at her.

I woke up that morning, turned over in bed, and saw her training bag sitting on the bed, and began crying. A similar incident happened at breakfast as I watched her walk the buffet line next to Schmidt. Ashley wasn’t sure how to comfort me and simply decided to pat me on the back.

By the time we pulled up to training, Kat had messaged me multiple times, and I hadn’t read a single one. I spent every moment by Christine’s side. I think most people were annoyed by lunch time, but I continued to cling to her arm as the bus pulled up to Christine Sinclair Place. And as we all changed into shirts with the number 12 on them for warm up. And as we changed into our kits, her for the very last time. I finally let go when we had to line up, her mere steps behind me as she waits to be announced.

I make eye contact with the Australian I had been accidentally ignoring all day, tears pricking behind my eyes. I give her a small smile, but she just turns back to her mascot.

We then all line up on the pitch, watching as past Canadian teammates come out and a farewell video plays on the big screen above us, Schmidty, Christine and our nieces standing in front of us all. I can’t help the tears that fall as Jessie hugs me as well as she can as we stand side by side.

Before we get into our positions to start the game, I rush to the sideline to meet Christine. Our pinkies link together, and we step over the white line with our right foot in sync. We turn toward each other, and as we raise our joint hands to kiss our thumbs, foreheads leaning against each other’s, the tears spill once more. Our hands drop to our sides once again and before I can say anything, Christine wraps her arms around me. Not a word is spoken as we hug, or as we part, or as she pats my back when we move to our positions.

I turn to look at the player I’m marking and come face to face with Kat. Her originally cold glare softens when she notices the drying tears on my cheeks and taps my leg as we wait for the whistle to start the game, a small attempt to try and comfort me.

~~~~~

In the 37th minute, the ball falls at my feet and I don’t hesitate on running forward, making a final pass to Christine for her to shoot, increasing her score from 190 to 191 goals. As the net ripples, I run and jump into her arms before she wraps an arm around my neck and ruffles my hair. The action had become our well known ‘sibling celebration’, and like hell I wasn’t going to experience one last time.

“We’re going to get you a goal too.” She laughs as we reset. I once again fall in my spot in front of Kat, who gives me the first smile of the night.

We’re awarded a corner in the 56th minute. Jessie sets it up and it falls to Christine, who manages to find me, and I manage to find a gap, and the goal. It’s a similar string of events, jumping into Christine’s arms before I wrap my own arm around her neck and mess with her hair. She gets subbed off 3 minutes later and I struggle to let her go as Schmidt comes on. A familiar pat on my leg as we watch her walk off is my only sense of comfort.

~~~~~

After the game ends, and many hugs and celebrations and lots of tears, the toes of my boots meet those of Kat, who has Harper hanging on her hip again.

“I’m sorry I ignored you all day. I didn’t realise how sad I’d be today, and I got so overwhelmed.” I wipe the remaining tears off my cheeks as I finally look into Kat’s eyes, the palladian blue seemingly brighter under the stadium lights.

“It’s okay, I just wished you said something. So we could’ve cheered you up.” Harper reaches out for me as I take Kat’s hand and I pick her up, spinning her around.

“Can I also admit I was nervous? That we were getting too close, and I’d just spill all my feelings to you. But after today I think I shouldn’t waste time fu- fluffing around.” The swear almost slips from my lips but Harper’s tug on my hair reminds me of who’s around.

“I wouldn’t have minded… if you’d let it slip.” Her hand slips into my spare one and we smile at one another as Christine and Hayley approach us.

Christine bends over, resting her hands on her knees, as she comes face to face with Harper.

“Hey chickee, how’d you like my final game.”

“It made mumma sad.” I turn to look at Kat questioningly.

“You were sad?”

“I mean yeah but no where near your level of sad.”

“No no! Not mum, mumma.” Harper’s finger pokes at my cheek and everyone seems to have a matching incredulous look on their face.

“Me?” the girl nods vigorously.

Kat opens her mouth to apologise but I kiss her cheek then Harper’s, and hand the little girl to Christine who wastes no time spinning her around and taking her to play with girls from either team.

“Can I kiss you?” I rush out as I turn to the older woman, her eyes sparkling. She nods and I place my hand on her cheek, leaning down to press our lips together.

“I know this is pretty quick, but will you be my girlfriend?” her warm breath hits my lips and all I can do is kiss her again.

~~~~~

“Come on Harper! Aunty Christine’s already there!” I yell down the hall, Kat rushing past me to pack the orange slices and bottles of water into the car.

The 7-year-old comes rushing out at the sound of her favourite aunt’s name, making a bee-line toward the car.

When we arrive at the field, Harper bounces on the balls of her feet, waiting for Kat and I to get out. Once we have everything, she grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowd to find Christine who is getting ready to ref the Under-10s finals.

“Christiiine! Can you help me tie my boots?” I look at Kat, who has just caught up to us.

“We may as well be invisible.” She chuckles and helps me set up our seats as Christine ties Harpers boots and sends her off to warm up.

“She’s going to be playing for The Matildas before you know it.” She says as she passes us.

“Heartbreaking it won’t be the Canadian team.” I retort. Katrina pulls my hand into her lap and rests her head on my shoulder.

“Thank you for helping raise her. Being her other mum.”

“I’d do anything for you two. Anything.” Kat hums and puts more body weight against me.

“You’re so pretty.” I whisper, pecking her nose.

“Not as pretty as you.”

~~~~~

“Katrina! You can’t look! It’s bad luck!” I yell through the door as Jessie helps me get into my dress.

“But I want to see you.” I can hear the pout in her voice, and it takes everything in me not to leave Jessie and rip open the door. It’s Harper who saves me from doing so. I hear her dragging her mum away as my niece ushers me over to put one last pin in my hair. The 15-year-old had some sort of magic for hair, and it was free.

It’s another 20 minutes before the bridesmaids line up, and an additional 5 until I slide into my place next to Christine, who opens her mouth to say something, but seems to choke up and begins to cry. All I do is smile and link our pinkies, and she walks me down the aisle.

As I stand next to Kat in front of our friends and family, holding her hands as she says her vows, I realise how lucky I am. Having these people in my life, meeting the love of my life and having the best daughter. I wouldn’t change a thing. And I say just that.

“When my sister dragged me back onto the pitch to meet you after her second last game, I was so embarrassed and adamant you’d hate me. For no reason. But when I looked into your eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes, I knew. And when Harper laughed as I blushed when Christine basically told everyone I had a crush on you, I knew I wanted her in my life forever too. I’m so grateful for having Christine and Jessie and the whole team. I’m grateful for my family. But I’ll never be as grateful for them as I am for having found you.” I smile a watery smile as Kat cries, and I can’t stop staring and thinking how beautiful she is. We exchange rings and I kiss her like it’s the only thing keeping everyone alive.

“I love you.”

~~~~~

I stand on the sidelines, looking down at my boots and the matching pair that stands firmly next to them. I then reach out my hand and link my pinkie with the girl next to me. Despite the different jerseys, we step over the white line with our right foot in sync. We turn toward each other, and we raise our joint hands to kiss our thumbs, foreheads leaning against each other’s. When I look into Harper’s eyes, I see Katrina’s, and when I think about this moment, my very last game, I think back to that game 13 years ago, saying goodbye to my sister on the pitch, and I smile.

“Good luck chickee.” I press a kiss to Harper’s forehead and take my position, marking the young Gorry.

When the game ends, I fall to my knees. People from both teams dogpile on top of me as we celebrate both the win and my final game. I spend a lot of time talking to everyone before I meet Katrina’s eyes, standing next to my big sister. I run forward and pull them both into a hug.

We eventually head back to the hotel. Kat and I fall back onto our bed, hearing the girls continue celebrating in the hallway.

“I’m so proud of you.” She whispers against my neck, the warm breath sending chills down my spine.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” I kiss her gently and pull her closer to me. We spend the rest of the night watching the games at Christine Sinclair Place. The game that got us to confess. The game that changed our lives.

[wosoimagines]

But You’re Both Babies - Jessie Fleming/Reader

I definitely turned this into a baby R imagine as well. And I’m writing with different team moms this time. For the sake of the story, we’re gonna pretend that they let 21 people on the CONCACAF roster.

prompt: Can you please write about overprotective Jessie? P.S. I looooveee your writing!!

warnings: Cursing

words: 1851

Y/N POV

I sighed as we stood in the tunnel waiting to go out on the field. I was getting to start in the final today. I smiled when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around my waist. I wrapped my own arms around Ali’s shoulders.

“You know I’m gonna be proud of you no matter what today, right?” Ali asked. I nodded against her shoulder.

We were playing against Canada today. It also meant that we were playing against my girlfriend. I love Jessie, but we hadn’t exactly told any of our national teammates yet. We both had initially met at the 2015 World Cup before we both ended up going to UCLA. I was still the youngest player on the team and I knew that most of Jessie’s teammates still saw her as the baby of the team even though she wasn’t anymore.

I was just hoping that today would not bring any injuries to any of us. It was so close to the Olympics and I didn’t want to see anyone get hurt today because I knew how rough USA vs Canada games got. I had been the unlucky person two years ago when I suffered a broken arm thanks to a late tackle that caused me to land awkwardly.

Ali let go of me and turned back around. I smiled at the familiar number on her back. I had gotten used to seeing her number in front of me if Ali got to start since I wore 12. It wasn’t much longer until we got to go out onto the field. It felt like an even shorter time before the game started.

By half time, I knew that this game could end with an injury. There had already been dangerous tackles from both sides. We had been prevailing with a 2-0 score already. It had sucked when Alyssa collided with Janine Beckie and had to leave the field, so Ash was sent in.

Half time ended quickly though and we got set back up on the field. I had this bad feeling that I couldn’t shake. It didn’t take me long to figure out why.

It was in the 47th minute of the game when I passed the ball to Julie once I noticed Keisha Buchanan running toward me. I expected her to stop, but she didn’t and slid, however. Right into my ankle. I cried out in pain as I hit the ground.

I held onto my ankle as I drew my knee to my chest. It felt even worse than when I had broken my hand. I couldn’t hold the tears back from my eyes. I was surprised though when I heard a familiar voice.

“Are you serious, Buchanan?” Jessie's voice snapped. I lifted my head enough to see Jessie in Buchanan’s face. It surprised me to see Jessie shove her own teammate. “That was an asshole move and you know it.”

“Jess,” I called out. The Canadian turned to look at me before leaving Buchanan alone. She knelt down by me.

“Are you okay?” Jessie asked me.

“It hurts,” I shook my head. I felt Jessie put her hand on my arm.

I was surprised when someone shoved Jessie away from me. I wasn’t actually too surprised to see that it was Ash. Ash even continued after Buchanan, but I wasn’t sure why she was going after Jessie. Ali knelt by me.

“You good?” Ali asked. I shook my head. “What hurts?” I couldn’t focus on that when Ash was going after Jessie like she was. “Don’t worry about that. Ash will take care of them.”

“But Jess-”

“Ash will take care of it, (Y/N),” Ali said. I looked at Jessie and she wasn’t even paying that much attention to Ash. I was surprised when Jessie quickly darted around Ash. “What are you doing?”

Jessie ignored Ali as she knelt down by me again. Ash was quick to try and push Jessie away again, but Jessie pushed back against her. Jessie stood up so she was staring Ash in the eyes.

“Back off,” Jessie hissed. I groaned causing all of them to look at me. “I’m not gonna hurt her.”

“Why? Cause you played together at school?” Ash asked. I couldn’t believe that they were doing this right now or that the medics were taking so long.

“No, cause we’re dating,” Jessie snapped. Both Ash and Ali froze before Jessie knelt down by me again. “Let’s get you on your back.”

Jessie helped me roll onto my back before the medics finally got to me. Jessie stayed with me as long as she could before Sinc dragged her away. The medics struggled to get my shoe off and I knew that my ankle was more than likely broken. I was taken to the back to get an x-ray before they confirmed that my ankle was broken.

It also didn’t take long for them to put a splint on my ankle. I was left alone for quite some time as the rest of the game played out. I knew that it would then be even longer afterward until someone came back to see me since this was a tournament.

I had a feeling that the first person I would see would be in a red jersey, but I hadn’t expected it to be more than one. Desiree Scott was the first Canada over to me before a lot of the veterans circled me. I froze as they all started talking at once. I easily caught the general drift of their conversations being about Jessie and that I could never hurt her.

“Hey,” Sinc yelled out. It wasn’t until she whistled that the others got quiet. Since turned to look at me. “If you hurt Jeff, we hurt you. And we can. Got it?”

I gulped but nodded my head. Although I looked up to Sinc and Tobin had assured me that she was actually really nice, she still scared me some. No doubt thanks to stories from Sonnett.

“Good,” Sinc said. She turned to her teammates. “Come on. None of you want Jeffery to find us here.”

The Canadians were quick to get out of the training room. I didn’t want too long before a different red shirt came in. This one had a jacket on.

“The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming,” I teased. Jessie gave me a shove when she got close enough to me.

“Wrong country,” Jessie pointed out. I knew that it had been, but I wanted to tease her anyways. “You know, your teammates can be scary.”

“You have no room to talk,” I scoffed. Jessie just looked confused. “All of the vets on your team are scary. Sinc is the worst. She is the scariest.”

“Christine Sinclair?” Jessie asked causing me to nod. “She’s like one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”

“No,” I shook my head in denial. There was no way. “Maybe she’ll be nice to me once we get married, but no. She is not nice to me right now. She is overprotective and she is going to kill me if I ever hurt you.”

“She won’t kill you,” Jessie rolled her eyes. I wasn’t too sure about that. “Ashlyn and Ali both threatened to kill me if I ever hurt you. Kelley said that Alex and herself would as well. Then Christen told me that she would kill me too. But Alyssa is the one who really scared me.”

“Sounds about right,” I nodded my head. I knew how my teammates were. “Alyssa and Christen would probably be the ones to kill you. Everyone else would just show up for the Jessie Fleming death party that Ash would host.”

“That makes me feel so much better,” Jessie groaned. I smiled at her. I had missed seeing her since we hadn’t gotten to see each other once I had flown out to Houston. “What are you thinking about?”

“How much I’ve missed you,” I softly said. Jessie smiled at me before leaning in to kiss me. I smiled into the kiss but it wasn’t long before she pulled back. “I’m not used to sleeping in a room with someone other than you.”

“I know how you feel,” Jessie said. I had gotten used to sharing a room with Jessie, so it had been weird to room with someone during the camps I had recently gone to and even at the tournament, it felt weird. “We’re screwed if we end up playing for different clubs. What did they say about your leg?”

“It’s my ankle,” I told her. I had been lucky that I had avoided any ankle injuries so far. “They think that I might need surgery on it. If I do, then the Olympics are very unlikely for me.”

“Hey, you can’t think about it that way,” Jessie softly shoved my shoulder. “You’re gonna be fine. If you’re not then I’m gonna kill Keisha myself. Besides, I’ll be there to help you get back. You’re one of the best up and coming forwards in the game. You’ve already won two World Cups and you’re only 21. You may only have a little time to come back, but you can do it because you’re (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

“Thank you,” I smiled at her before I grabbed the front of her jacket and pulled Jessie closer to me so I could kiss her.

I smiled into our kiss because it felt right. However, we were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Jessie pulled back and we both looked to the door. I hid my face in Jessie’s neck when I saw my own teammates.

“I’ll call you later tonight,” Jessie whispered as she kissed the top of my head. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

I nodded against her neck before watching her leave past my teammates. At least until I found great interest in my splint. I could feel my teammates getting closer to me. Someone put a hand on my shoulder causing me to look at them.

“What’d they say about your ankle?” Ali asked. I appreciated the fact that she hadn’t asked me about Jessie right off.

“It’s definitely broke,” I sighed. I had been told to go see an orthopedic doctor as soon as I could. “They’re not sure if I need surgery or not just yet. I’ve got to go see a doctor.”

“So, Baby America is dating Baby Canada,” Ash teased. Ali slapped her wife.

“Jessie isn’t the youngest on the Canadian team anymore,” I pointed out.

“But you’re both babies,” Ash teased. 

“Ash,” Ali hissed. I knew that Ali would be a lot more calm about it than Ash would. “Just know that if she ever hurts you, we’ll hurt her.”

“So, how did you two get together?” Ash asked. I sighed because I didn’t really want to tell Ash. “Wait, aren’t you two roommates at school?”

My eyes widened when I realized that I had told them that I was rooming with Jessie. I couldn’t help the blush that covered my cheeks as Ash teased me.

[dimitrescus-bitch]

Rivals (Christine Sinclair x Reader)

America and Canada had always had a long standing rivalry when it came to soccer. It wasn’t a secret the two teams had quite a bit of animosity between them. You had witnessed and been a part of it nearly your entire career. When you made the switch, things got a bit worse for you. You had started your career as a 16 year old playing for Canada. Two years, a marriage, and a move later, you found yourself wearing not only red and white, but now blue as well. You had been welcomed into the American team, they had played against you and knew what you could do. However, that had left some strain between you and your former teammates. Luckily, despite your sexual awakening and subsequent divorce literally six months later, you got to keep your new national team.

You became a great part of that team, even when you went to Europe to play professionally. By the time that you’d come back from Europe, the NWSL had just gotten onto its feet and you were signed to Seattle. Literally a day after you’d landed in Seattle, you were traded over to Portland. There, you found your footing in the American league once again. You had also reconnected with one of your former Canadian teammates, Christine. By the end of the season, you were beginning to wonder why you hadn’t stayed in Canada and told your ex-husband to just fuck off when you met him.

Those good feelings went away when once again, the NWSL decided to fuck with you for shits and giggles. This time when you found yourself in Seattle, it was permanent. You still kept in touch with Christine, the two of you weren’t all that far away from each other and feelings had begun to develop. You remembered meeting her 7 years ago then, before you realized what you were able to want in life. There had always been a crush on her, but you assumed every rookie on the team looked up to her in some way. Another season at Seattle and you had finally pulled your head out of your ass and asked her out on a date. Now, three years strong and over a decade of knowing each other, you were playing against each other for the NWSL title, something you hoped would be happening for the last time.

The game was close and Christine had been more focused on comforting you on your loss than she was celebrating with her own team. She brought you to your home, unknowing that it would be the last season you lived in it. Next year, if your contract went through with the Thorns, you’d be back in Portland with her. If she accepted your marriage proposal, after the Olympics, you’d both be playing on Team Canada once more. You knew they’d accept you back, even if you would get shit for playing for the other team. All you had to do was shoot your shot, something you had been pretty good at in regards to Christine.

“Ahem,” you cleared your throat and Christine looked down at you in her arms.

“Yes?” She seemed amused by your action, smiling even. That was good for you because it meant she wasn’t feeling nearly as guilty as you had originally thought for beating you. Christine liked winning, but she liked it much less when it caused you to get upset in any way shape or for. You sat up and straddled her waist.

“So, two things,” you began, pausing to take her hands in yours. “First, I want to congratulate you on winning, you really deserve it. Second, I love you, like a lot. I am so in love with you it’s almost pathetic sometimes. Megan told me so, like twice today. Anyways, that being said, I would love it if you would marry me after next season. I think it’d be a nice way for me to end my return season with the Thorns given that things go according to plan. Vlatko won’t be happy to see me go, but I trust he’s a reasonable man who will let me be with my fiance.”

“You want to marry me?” Christine asked in disbelief.

“Yes and not just to make it easier for me to move,” you promised. “I really love you and I want us to be together and maybe even start a family. I’m ready for that big step with you. Not being your rival is a nice perk to everything.”

“There’s still international,” Christine pointed out and you had thought of everything.

“After the Olympics, we get married, and then I pop back up to Canada to see if they’ll take me back. I mean, I do have that dual citizenship,” you said and Christen let you slip the ring onto her finger. “One more year.”

“One more,” Christine said, pulling you in for a very passionate kiss.

[khorazir]

Enigma Research

Now that my Codebreaker/WW2 AU Enigma is finally, after almost four years and over 250k words, drawing to a close, I though it might be of interest to its readers and others who are writing fic set in this particular era to reveal some of my sources for the extensive research I undertook to learn more about the period and, hopefully, capture it adequately.

Huge gratitude goes to my brilliant beta rifleman_s who not only checked grammar and spelling (English not being my native language), but also offered valuable Brit-picking and, most importantly, fact checking when it came to historical accuracy. All remain inaccuracies or deliberate anachronisms are mine.

While I tried to stay true to historical events most of the time, in some instances I tweaked their timeline a little for dramatic effect or to better integrate them into the story. This is particularly relevant for the discovery of the German messages that opened the door to finally breaking the Lorenz Cipher. They were indeed intercepted in late August 1941, but of course their significance was not noticed by Jennifer Wilson, who is fictional. The explosion of a left-over bomb in Russell Square is fictional, too, although there were many similar occurrences all over London at the time.

A lucky guess was the address of Sherlock’s and John’s billet in Bletchley. Since the town looks a lot different now than it did in the 1940s (Milton Keynes, the town Bletchley is now a part of, didn’t even exist back then: it was built from 1967 onwards), I looked at old maps and aerial photographs, and decided that the oldest parts of the town must have been built along the major roads. I picked Buckingham Road, and was very pleased to discover during a later visit to the Bletchley Park Museum that there were indeed lodgings for staff of Station X on Buckingham Road.

Two other helpful factual sources were my two remaining grandparents: my maternal grandmother (born 1924) and paternal grandfather (born 1920) who, albeit not living in England at the time but in Germany, were invaluable when it came to remiscing about what life was like during WW2, as seen from both a soldier’s and a civilian’s perspective.

Apart from these helpers, I researched a lot, and enjoyed said research immensely. Here are some of my sources. I’m sure I forgot to list some, particularly those I consulted online. If you have questions about any of them, or my research or the fic in general, I’d be happy to answer them.

Films:

The Imitation Game (2015)

Enigma (2002, better than The Imitation Game at recreating the atmosphere of busy Bletchley Park during WW2)

Hope and Glory (1987, WW2 London seen through the eyes of a boy)

Atonement (2007)

Lady Henderson Presents (2006, Windmill Theatre)

The Landgirls (1997)

Dunkirk (2017)

Their Finest (2017)

Swing Kids (1993, 1940s swing music)

TV-series:

The Bletchley Circle (2012)

Small Island (2009)

Fleming (2013)

The Cambridge Spies (2003)

TV-documentaries:

Wartime Farm (2012, brilliant BBC documentary about everyday life in Wartime England)

Back in Time for Dinner (2015, BBC2)

Back in Time for Tea (2018, BBC2)

Wie ein Mathegenie Hitler knackte (2014, German documentary about Alan Turing, broadcast on French/German channel Arte)

Museums:

Bletchley Park (brilliant, brilliant museum, absolutely worth a visit)

Imperial War Museum, London

HMS Belfast, London

Museum of London

Victoria & Albert Museum (for 1940s fashion)

Churchill War Rooms, London

London Transport Museum

Literature:

McKay, Sinclair. The Lost World of Bletchley Park. London: Aurum. 2013

McKay, Sinclair. The Secret Lives of Codebreakers. London: Penguin. 2010

Smith, Michael. Bletchley Park: The Code-Breakers of Station X. Oxford: Shire. 2013

English Heritage. Bletchley Park: Home of the Codebreakers.

Imperial War Museum. HMS Belfast Guidebook. London: IWM. 2014

Dirix, Emmanuelle and Fiell, Charlotte. 1940s Fasion: The Definitive Sourcebook. London: Carlton. 2013

Shrimpton, Jayne. Fashion in the 1940s. Oxford: Shire. 2014

Lussier, Suzanne. Art Deco Fashion. London: V&A Publishing. 2009

DK. Fashion. London: DK. 2012

Noble, Christine. Portrait of an Era: An Illustrated History of Britain 1900 to 1945. London: Vivat Direct Limited. 2011

Ross, Cathy and Clark, John. London: The Illustrated History. London: Penguin. 2011

Winn, Christopher. I Never Knew That About London. London: Ebury Press. 2011

Geo Epoche Nr. 67. “Geheimdienste: Die Geschichte der Spionage”. Hamburg: Gruner & Jahr. 2014

Geo Epoche Nr. 43. “Der Zweite Weltkrieg: Teil 1 1939 – 1942”. Hamburg: Gruner & Jahr. 2010

Geo Epoche Nr. 44. “Der Zweite Weltkrieg: Teil 2 1943 – 1945”. Hamburg: Gruner & Jahr. 2010

Internet (selection):

Wikipedia (yeah, I know ... but it was very helpful for getting an overview over historical events and particularly the progress of codebreaking of both the Enigma and Lorenz Ciphers, John’s adventures in the North Atlantic, the various listening stations, etc.)

WW2 bombsites in London

Historical roadmaps

Wartime diet and rations

Wartime money

Historical photographs of Bletchley

London Necropolis Railway

John’s Naval uniform

People’s memories of WW2

Music of the 1930s and 40s

[jamie-nicole-97-blog]

Jamie Nicole's Birthday Horror Challenge

Since my birthday is in October I wanted to post my birthday challenge, I love horror movies. I even like the bad ones the bloodier the better, so on to my challenge.

This is an open fandom challenge meaning you can write for any fandom you like, RPF is fine. All pairings, ships, OC's or Reader inserts.

All genre of fics are welcome just label your triggers.

Choose a horror movie villain from the list of my favorites below and send me an ask with your choice. Maybe include a back up, one villain per person.

Fics aren't due until October 18th my birthday so you have plenty of time to get them done.

Be sure to tag me jamie-nicole-97 and Jamie Nicole's Birthday Horror Challenge.

Horror Villians

It (from It Follows, 2014) @deanjensensmut Dean x Reader feat Sam

The Blob (from The Blob, 1958 & 1988 remake) @danneel-genevieve-misha Castiel x Reader

Freddy Krueger (from A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984)

Jason Voorhees (Friday The 13th & it’s sequels)

Michael Meyers (Halloween & it's sequels)

@iwritewwe

Pennywise (from It: Chapter One, 2017)

Annie Wilkes (from Misery, 1990) @jenneel-jarevieve Jared Padalecki x Reader

Norman Bates (from Psycho)

John Doe (from Se7en, 1995) @jamie-nicole-97 Dean Winchester x Reader

Leatherface (from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974)

Buffalo Bill (The Silence of the Lambs)

Abyzou (The Possession)

Annabelle (Annabelle) @wayward-walker John Winchester x Reader

The Piranhas (Piranha) @laurenmaggietrash Jensen Ackles x Reader

Pterodactyls (Pterodactyl)

Chucky a.k.a Charles Lee Ray (Child’s Play and its sequels)

Bo and Vincent Sinclair (House of Wax)

Willard and Rats (Willard 1971 & 2003 remake) @jamie-nicole-97 Castiel x Reader

Pazuzu (The Conjuring 2) - a.k.a. The Ouija Board Demon. @charlotteswinchester Dean Winchester x Reader

Jacob Goodnight (See No Evil & sequel) @supernaturallysammy Sam Winchester x Reader x Dean Winchester

Children of the Corn (Children of the Corn (1984 and seven sequels and a remake) @ravenangel33

Christine (Christine 1983) @deanjensensmut Dean x Reader

Hugh Crain (The Haunting (1963 and one remake 1999) @charlotteswinchester Sam Winchester x Reader

Pumpkinhead (Pumpkinhead and its sequels)

Maniac (Don’t Go in the Woods 1980) @laurenmaggietrash Dean x Reader

Henry Kane (Poltergeist II: The Other Side and one prequel) @wayward-walker John Winchester x Reader

Giant Burrowing Sand Monster (Blood Beach) @danneel-genevieve-misha - Castiel x Reader

Matilda Dixon (Darkness Falls) @supernaturallysammy Sam x Reader

Stranger (When a Stranger Calls 1979 and a remake) @jenneel-jarevieve Jenneel

Tagging my forevers and those who may be interested

@charlotteswinchester @wayward-walker @jenneel-jarevieve @danneel-genevieve-misha @supernaturallysammy @deanjensensmut @laurenmaggietrash @ravenangel33 @goldenolaf25 @notnaturalanahi @evansrogerskitten

[mellowsobri]

Requests

hi hi hi so this is going to be one of those posts that are updated from time to time.

!! this is long as fuck !!

Rules:

if you send in a request, be sure to at least briefly give a prompt. for example, if i get a request that says “draco x reader please” i will delete it. instead, consider asking “draco x reader where they (etc)” instead.

here are the general fandoms i accept requests for. bolding indicates i am currently enthusiastic about it which means it’ll most likely be released a lot sooner.

Harry Potter

Fantastic Beasts

Be More Chill

Dear Evan Hansen

Alexander Hamilton

Stranger Things

It (2017)

Law and Order SVU

Mystic Messenger

Homestuck

Camp Camp

RPF (i will list them later)

here are some of the characters i write for. bolding indicates i am comfortable with my ability to write them / like writing them. italicizing indicates i am not fully comfortably in my ability to write them, but i will still try (might not be that great tho). an asterisk (*) indicates that they are definitely one of my all time favorite characters and i fucking love them.

(note: just because a specific character isn't listed doesn't mean i won't write for them)

Harry Potter  (Harry Potter)

*Ron Weasley  (Harry Potter)

Hermione Granger  (Harry Potter)

*Draco Malfoy  (Harry Potter)

*Neville Longbottom  (Harry Potter)

Fred Weasley  (Harry Potter)

George Weasley  (Harry Potter)

Oliver Wood  (Harry Potter)

Cedric Diggory  (Harry Potter)

Sirius Black  (Harry Potter)

Remus Lupin  (Harry Potter)

James Potter  (Harry Potter)

Newt Scamander  (Fantastic Beasts)

Tina Goldstien  (Fantastic Beasts)

Queenie Goldstien  (Fantastic Beasts)

Jacob Kowalski  (Fantastic Beasts)

*Credence Barebone  (Fantastic Beasts)

Jeremey Heere  (Be More Chill)

*Michael Mell  (Be More Chill)

Rich Goranski  (Be More Chill)

Jake Dillinger  (Be More Chill)

Christine Canigula  (Be More Chill)

*Brooke Lohst  (Be More Chill)

Chloe Valentine  (Be More Chill)

Evan Hansen  (Dear Evan Hansen)

Jared Kleinman  (Dear Evan Hansen)

Connor Murphy  (Dear Evan Hansen)

Alexander Hamilton  (Alexander Hamilton)

John Laurens  (Alexander Hamilton)

Marquis De Lafayette  (Alexander Hamilton)

Hercules Mulligan  (Alexander Hamilton)

Thomas Jefferson  (Alexander Hamilton)

James Madison  (Alexander Hamilton)

Aaron Burr  (Alexander Hamilton)

George Washington  (Alexander Hamilton)

*Charles Lee  (Alexander Hamilton)

Phillip Hamilton  (Alexander Hamilton)

Angelica Schuyler  (Alexander Hamilton)

Eliza Schuyler  (Alexander Hamilton)

Peggy Schuyler  (Alexander Hamilton)

Will Byers  (Stranger Things)

Mike Wheeler  (Stranger Things)

*Dustin Henderson  (Stranger Things)

Lucas Sinclair  (Stranger Things)

Eleven/Jane Hopper  (Stranger Things)

Max Mayfield  (Stranger Things)

Steve Harrington  (Stranger Things)

Billy Hargrove  (Stranger Things)

Johathan Byers  (Stranger Things)

Billy Denbrough  (It 2017)

Ben Hanscom  (It 2017)

*Stan Uris  (It 2017)

*Richie Toizer  (It 2017)

Eddie Kaspbrack  (It 2017)

Mike Hanlon  (It 2017)

*Beverly Marsh  (It 2017)

(i’m not writing for pennywise)

Sonny Carisi (SVU)

Rafael Barba (SVU)

707/Saeyoung Choi  (Mystic Messenger) 

Jumin Han  (Mystic Messenger) 

*Yoosung Kim  (Mystic Messenger) 

*Zen/Ryu  (Mystic Messenger) 

Jahee Kang  (Mystic Messenger) 

Unknown/Saeran Choi  (Mystic Messenger) 

V  (Mystic Messenger) 

Aradia Medigo  (Homestuck) 

*Tavros Nitram  (Homestuck) 

Sollux Captor  (Homestuck) 

Karkat Vantas  (Homestuck) 

*Nepeta Leijon  (Homestuck) 

Kanaya Maryam  (Homestuck) 

Terezi Pyrope  (Homestuck) 

Vriska Serket  (Homestuck) 

*Equius Zahhak  (Homestuck) 

Gamzee Makara  (Homestuck) 

*Eridan Ampora  (Homestuck) 

*Feferi Peixes  (Homestuck) 

*John Egbert  (Homestuck) 

Rose Lalonde  (Homestuck) 

Dave Strider  (Homestuck) 

Jade Harley  (Homestuck) 

Jane Crocker  (Homestuck) 

*Roxy Lalonde  (Homestuck) 

Dirk Strider  (Homestuck) 

Jake English  (Homestuck) 

David  (Camp Camp)

Gwen  (Camp Camp)

Daniel Howell  (RPF)

Phil Lester  (RPF)

Mark Fischbach  (RPF)

Dan Avidan  (RPF)

Lin Manuel Miranda  (RPF)

Anthony Ramos  (RPF)

Daveed Diggs  (RPF)

Oak Onaodowan  (RPF)

Jon Rua  (RPF)

here are some AU’s/Tropes/Soulmate AU’s that i enjoy writing (which means you should definitely consider requesting a character with these)

Modern AU’s

High School AU’s (to soothe the fact that real high school is shitty)

Fairytale AU’s

“We we're accidentally college roommates” Trope

“We met at a coffee shop” Trope

“Unrequited love” Trope

“I caught you cheating” Trope

“The hot new student” Trope

“Our friends have to set us up because we’re too scared to talk to each other” Trope

“Our friends intentionally flirted with you so I’d tell you my feelings” Trope

“You're my childhood friend that got hot” Trope

“Whatever your soulmate writes on themselves it appears on your arm as well” Soulmate AU

“Tally mark” AU

“Meeting your soulmate in your dreams” AU

“If you throw a paper plane it will always make it to your soulmate” AU

“The pain you feel, your soulmate can also feel” AU

“You can communicate with your soulmate in your head” AU

“Your chest glows whenever your soulmate gets closer” AU

“Plants grow from the injuries your soulmate has” AU

thanks. this was long. send in requests.